A Cabinet secret

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Presented to the

LIBRARY of the

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

by

DAVID STAFFORD

G.

JERi ST., S.W.

A Cabinet Secret

SHE STOOPED OVER ME.

'A CABINET' SECRET.'
(Frontispiece. )

Page ii 8.

n

A Cabinet Secret

n

By Guy Boothby

Author of "Dr Nikola," "The Beautiful White Devil,"
" Tharos the Egyptian," " A Sailor's Bride," etc., etc.

With Illustrations by A. Wallis Mills

London

F. V. White & Co.

14 Bedford Street, Strand, W.C.

1901

INTRODUCTION

THE Author deems it right to preface his
work with the remark, that while the War
between England and the South African Re-
publics forms the basis of the story, the
characters and incidents therein described are
purely fictional, and have no sort of resem-
blance, either intended or implied, with living
people. The Author's only desire is to show
what, under certain, doubtless improbable,
conditions, might very well have happened,
had a secret power endeavoured to harass the
Empire by taking advantage of her temporary
difficulties.

A Cabinet Secret

A CABINET SECRET

INTRODUCTION

was falling, and Naples Harbour,
always picturesque, appeared even more
so than usual in the warm light of the depart-
ing day. The city itself, climbing up the
hillside, almost from the water's edge, was
coloured a pale pink by the sunset, and even
old Vesuvius, from whose top a thin column
of black smoke was issuing, seemed somewhat
less sombre than usual. Out Ischiawards, the
heavens were a mass of gold and crimson
colouring, and this was reflected in the calm
waters of the Bay, till the whole world was
a veritable glow. Taken altogether, a more
beautiful evening could scarcely have been
desired. And yet it is not with the city, the
mountain, or the sunset, that we have to do,

A

2 A Cabinet Secret

but with the first movement of a conspiracy
that was destined ultimately to shake one of
the greatest Empires, the earth has ever seen,
to the very foundations of its being.

Though the world was not aware of it,
and would not, in all human probability, have
concerned itself very much about it even if
it had, the fact remains that for some hours
past two men, from a house situated on one
of the loftiest pinnacles of the city, had been
concentrating their attention, by means of
powerful glasses, upon the harbour, closely
scrutinizing every vessel that entered and
dropped her anchor inside the Mole.

" Can anything have happened that she
does not come ? " asked the taller of the
pair, as he put down his glasses, and began
to pace the room. "The cable said most
distinctly that the steam yacht, Princess
Badroulbadour passed through the Straits of
Messina yesterday at seven o'clock. Surely
they should be here by this time ? "

" One would have thought so," his com-
panion replied. "It must be borne in mind,
however, that the Princess is a private
yacht, and it is more likely, as the wind is
fair, that the owner is sailing in order to save
his fuel,"

Introduction 3

" To the devil with him, then, for his English
meanness," answered the other angrily. "He
does not know how anxious we are to see
her."

" And, everything taken into consideration,
it is just as well for us and for the safety of
his passengers that he does not," his friend
retorted. "If he did, his first act after he
dropped anchor would be to hand them over
to the tender mercies of the Police. In that
case we should be ruined for ever and a day.
Perhaps that aspect of the affair has not struck
you?"

" It is evident that you take me for a fool,"
the other answered angrily. " Of course, I
know all that ; but it does not make me any
the less anxious to see them. Consider for a
moment what we have at stake. Never before
has there been such a chance of bringing to
her knees one of the proudest nations of the
earth. And to think that if that vessel does
not put in an appearance within the next few
hours, all our preparations may be in vain ! "

" She will be here in good time, never fear,"
his companion replied soothingly. " She has
never disappointed us yet."

" Not willingly, I will admit," the other
returned ; " but in this matter she may not

4 A Cabinet Secret

be her own mistress. She is a beautiful
woman, and for all we know to the contrary,
this English milord may be prolonging the
voyage in order to enjoy her society. Who
knows but that he may carry her off
altogether ? "

"In that case his country should erect a
memorial to him, similar to the Nelson Monu-
ment," said the smaller man. " For it is
certain he will have rendered her as great a
service as that empty-sleeved Hero ever did."

The other did not reply, but, after another
impatient glance at the Harbour, once more
began to pace the room. He was a tall,
handsome fellow, little more than thirty years
of age, and carried himself with soldierly
erectness. The most casual observer would
have noticed that he was irreproachably
dressed, and that his manners were those of
one accustomed to good society. His com-
panion, on the other hand, was short and
stout, with a round bullet head, and closely
cropped hair. He was also the possessor
of a pair of small twinkling eyes, and a
neck so thick, that one instinctively thought
of apoplexy and sudden death in con-
nection with its owner. The room they
occupied was strangely at variance with the

Introduction 5

appearance of the younger and taller man.
It was little more than a garret, very dirty,
and furnished in the poorest fashion. But it
had one advantage : it commanded a splendid
view of Naples Harbour, and, after all, that
was what its present occupants required.
At last, the younger man, tired of his sentry-
go up and down the room, threw himself into
a chair and lit a cigarette. For some minutes
not a word passed between them ; all the
time, however, the shorter man remained at
the window, his glass turned seaward, watch-
ing for the smallest sign of the vessel they
were so eagerly expecting. Suddenly he
uttered an exclamation which caused the other
to spring to his feet.

"What is it?" cried the latter; "what do
you see ? "

" I fancy she is coming up now," his friend
replied. "If you run your glass along the
sky-line, I fancy you will be able to detect
a white speck, with a tiny column of smoke
above it."

The other followed the directions given him,
and, after a careful scrutiny, gave it as his
opinion that what his companion had said was
correct. Nearly an hour elapsed, however,
before they could be quite certain upon the

6 A Cabinet Secret

subject. At last the matter was settled beyond
doubt, and when a magnificent white yacht
rounded the Mole and came to its anchorage
in the Mercantile Harbour, they prepared to
make their way down to the water-side in
order to board her. Before they started, how-
ever, the elder of the two men effected sundry
changes in his attire.

" Forgive the mummery," he remarked, as
he took a somewhat clerical hat and cloak
from a peg, " but, as they say upon the stage,
'the unities must be observed.' If our beauti-
ful Countess has played her cards carefully,
Monseigneur should be of great benefit to us
hereafter. It would be a thousand pities to
scare him away at the beginning. For this
reason it will be as well for you to remember
that I am her Excellency's lawyer, who has
hastened to Naples in order to confer with
her on a matter of considerable importance,
connected with her Styrian estates. No sus-
picion will then be excited."

By the time he had finished Speaking he
had donned the hat and cloak, and when he
had given another expression to his face — for
the man was a consummate actor — he was satis-
fied that he looked the part he was about to
play. After that they descended the narrow,

Introduction 7

rickety stairs together, and passed out into the
street. It was a warm afternoon, and in con-
sequence Naples was in her most unsavoury
humour. The two men, however, did not
appear to trouble themselves very much about
it. Side by side they made their way through
the crowded streets, almost in silence. Each
was thinking of the approaching interview, and
of what was to result from it. Reaching the
Harbour, they chartered a boat and bade the
rower convey them to the white yacht which
had just dropped her anchor. The man
obeyed, and in less than five minutes they
were lying alongside one of the most
beautiful pleasure vessels that has ever
upheld the shipbuilding honour of the Clyde.
The Port formalities had already been com-
plied with, and now the accommodation ladder
was hanging at the side in readiness for
visitors. When they drew up at its foot, the
tall man, addressing the quartermaster on
duty at the gangway, enquired whether
Madame la Comtesse de Venetza were aboard,
and, if so, whether she would permit visitors to
pay their respects to her.

It was noticeable that he spoke excellent
English, with scarcely a touch of foreign accent.

The man departed with the message, to

8 A Cabinet Secret

presently return with the report that Madame
would be pleased to see the gentleman if
they would " come aboard." They accordingly
climbed the ladder, and followed the quarter-
master along the deck to a sumptuous saloon
under the bridge. The owner of the beautiful
craft was in the act of leaving the cabin as
they approached it.

" Won't you come in ? " he said, pausing
to open the door for them. " The Countess
will be very pleased to see you."

As he said this he glanced sharply at the
two men, with an Englishman's innate dis-
trust of foreigners. He saw little in them,
however, to criticise, and nothing to dislike.
They, on their side, found him a tall, stalwart
Englishman of the typical standard — blue eyes,
ruddy cheeks, close cropped hair, the latter
a little inclined to be curly, well, but not over
dressed, and carrying with him an air of
latent strength that, in spite of his good-
humoured expression, would have made most
people chary of offending him. When the
two men entered the cabin, he closed the
door behind them and ran lightly up the
ladder to the bridge.

After his departure there was a moment-
ary, but somewhat embarrassing, silence. A

Introduction 9

long shaft of sunlight streamed in through
one of the windows (for they resembled
windows more than port-holes) and revealed
the fact that the lady, who was reclining in
a long easy-chair, was extremely beautiful.
Despite the cordial message she had sent,
her visitors could scarcely have been welcome,
for she did not even take the trouble to rise
to receive them, but allowed a tall grey-haired
man, who might very well have passed for her
father, to do the honours for her.

" My dear Luigi — my dear Conrad," he
said, offering his right hand to the smaller
of the two men and his left to the other. "It
is indeed kind of you to be* so quick to
welcome us. The Countess is a little tired
this afternoon, but she is none the less
delighted to see you."

The scornful curl of the lady's lips not only
belied this assertion, but indicated that miladi
was in a by no means pleasant temper. The
impatient movement of the little foot, peeping
from beneath her dress, said as much, as
plainly as any words could speak.

" We have been waiting for you all day,"
the younger man began. " There is news of
the greatest importance to communicate. Every
hour that passes is now so much time wasted."

io A Cabinet Secret

Then, for the first time during the interview,
the lady spoke.

" You infer that I might have been quicker? "
she said, with a touch of scorn in her voice.
" You evidently forget that, had it not been
for this English milords kindness, I should
not be here even now."

It looked as if the younger man, while
really uncomfortable, were trying to act as
if he were not afraid of her.

" Is there not such a thing as the Oriental
Express?" he asked. "Had you used that,
we might have met at Turin, and have saved
a great deal of trouble and valuable time."

The lady turned impatiently from him to
his companion.

"What form does your news take?" she
enquired. "Is it contained in a letter?"

" No, Excellenza, it was to be delivered by
word of mouth," the other replied. " The
Council, who were in Prague at the time,
paid me the compliment of trusting to my
discretion, and despatched me immediately to
you. We heard that you were in Constanti-
nople, and the Secretary undertook to have
a message transmitted to you there. Our
friend, Conrad here, is perhaps not aware
that the Oriental Express is occasionally

Introduction 1 1

an impossible medium. But, while condoling
with you on that score, I must congratulate
your Excellency in having pressed the Duke
of Rotherhithe into your service."

" Pray spare yourself the trouble," the lady
replied. " I do not know that I am particu-
larly fond of obtaining hospitality, such as his,
under false pretences. It is sufficient for your
purposes, is it not, that I am here, and ready
to do the Council's bidding, whatever that may
be. Perhaps you will be good enough to tell
me what is expected of me ? "

" Is it safe for me to tell you here ? " Luigi
enquired, and as he said it he looked anxiously
about him, as if he feared the presence of
eavesdroppers.

" As safe as it will be anywhere," the lady
answered. "It is an Englishman's yacht, and,
whatever we may say of them, they are not in
the habit of listening at keyholes. Now what
have you to tell me ? "

The man hesitated once more before he
replied. He was the chosen mouth-piece of
one of the most powerful organisations in
Europe, and ere now affairs involving death,
and worse than death, had been entrusted to
him, and he had brought them to a satisfac-
tory issue. As a rule, and certainly when

12 A Cabinet Secret

dealing with men, he did not know what fear
was. In this lady's presence, however, he
was strangely nervous.

" Come," she said, " you are a long time
telling me. Is it so very difficult to explain ?
Or am I to anticipate a repetition of the Palermo
Incident?"

Whatever the Palermo Incident may have
been, it was certainly not a pleasant recollec-
tion to either of the men before her ; the
elder man became uncomfortable, while the
younger moved uneasily in his seat.

" You hit hard, madam," the elder man
returned ; "but, thank goodness, I am not thin-
skinned. That the Palermo affair was a mistake,
I am quite prepared to admit ; it is possible,
however, the success which will doubtless attend
this affair, will make ample amends for it."

"You have not told me what the affair is,"
the lady replied. " Unless you make haste, I
fear I shall not be able to hear it to-night.
It would be as well for you to remember that
I am not my own mistress, and that, in return
for his hospitality, my host has at least some
claim upon my society."

" I will not detain you longer than is ab-
solutely necessary," the other replied. " With
your permission I will now explain my

Introduction 1 3

mission. Of course, your Excellency is aware
that the British Empire is on the eve of a
serious struggle with the two South African
Republics. The Republics in question have
been arming for several years, and there can
be no sort of doubt that the war, which is
now about to begin, will make the most
enormous demands upon the resources and
capabilities of even that great Empire. That
the country, at least so far as its military
organisation is concerned, is not properly pre-
pared for such an encounter, admits of no
doubt. Her armament is well known to be
deficient, if not defective ; she possesses
but few Generals whose experience entitles
them to the right of leading her troops as
they should be led against a foe which
will have in its ranks some of the best
fighting men in the world ; while the
nature of the country in which she will
have to fight, and the peculiar tactics of the
enemy, are unfavourable to her in the highest
degree. Apart from this, it has been her
boast that she occupies an isolated position
in Europe, if not in the world. France,
Russia, Germany and Holland are avowedly
unfavourable ; Spain remembers Great Britain's
sympathy with America in the Cuban affair ;

14 <d Cabinet Secret

Portugal will wait to see what turn events take
before she commits herself; while America will
stand strictly neutral. We all remember that
the larger Republic has beaten her before : it
is possible that it may do so again. All these
things having been taken into consideration,
it must be quite clear to an observant mind
that if England is ever to be humiliated,
now is the time to do it. With this end
in view, the Council was summoned hastily
to meet in Prague. The result of their
deliberations was the drawing up of a
plan of action, and as soon as this had been
agreed upon, I was ordered to place myself in
communication with you. You were in Con-
stantinople, and, as I have said, a message
was immediately despatched by the Secretary
to you."

" I received it, and am here. What am I
to do?"

" I can tell you no more than that you are to
make your way to England at once, via Rome
and Paris. Von Rosendell is in Rome. He
will meet you, and give you full particulars of
the scheme which has been proposed."

''And when am I to leave Naples in order to
meet him ?"

"As soon as possible," the other replied;

Introduction 15

" there is no time to waste. I was to invite
you to make your arrangements at once, and to
telegraph the hour of your departure in the
usual way."

"In that case I need not detain you any
longer," she answered with chilling politeness.
" Should it be necessary for me to communicate
with you, I presume the usual address will
find you ? "

" But "

" But what? Is there anything else I am to
hear ? "

"There is this — that I am to go with you,"
the younger man put in, almost apologetically.
" I received my orders from the Council this
morning. I hope you do not disapprove?"

He looked at her almost beseechingly ; the
expression upon her face, however, betrayed
neither pleasure nor annoyance. Do what he
would, he could not prevent a sigh from escap-
ing him as he became aware of it. All day he
had been hoping that she would be pleased
when she heard that he was to co-operate with
her ; now, however, his heart sank like lead.
It was just the sort of enterprise he liked. It
was daring, reckless to a degree ; they would
carry their lives in their hands, as they had so
often done before; indeed, the mere fact that

1 6 A Cabinet Secret

he was to share the dangers with her had
been the greatest pleasure he had known for
months past.

"If you are to accompany us," she said,
scarcely looking at him, " you had better hold
yourself in readiness. It will be safer if we
travel apart during the time we are in Italy,
and afterwards other arrangements can be
made so that we "

"We will leave you and return to the shore,"
interrupted the man called Luigi, who did not
altogether approve the turn affairs were taking.
" I have carried out my instructions, and so far
as I am concerned, individually, the matter is at
an end."

Five minutes later they had left the yacht,
and the Countess de Venetza was apologizing
to the Duke of Rotherhithe for the intrusion of
her lawyer people on his yacht.

" It is really too hard," she said pathetically ;
" they give me no peace. When my husband
died and I inherited his estates, he had
no thought of the trouble and anxiety the
management of them would cause me. My
lawyers are perpetually grumbling because they
cannot obtain interviews with me. I often think
that they look upon me as a sort of Will-o'-the-
Wisp, flickering about Europe, and impossible

Introduction 1 7

to catch. Why they could not have transacted
the business with my father instead of bother-
ing me with it, I cannot imagine. However,
you will forgive me, will you not ? "

The Duke, who by the way, was extremely
susceptible, looked unutterable things. He had
first met the Countess in Algiers a year before,
and had fallen desperately in love with her
before he had known her twenty-four hours.
The mere fact that she did not encourage his
attentions only served to attract him the more.
They met at Cairo six months later — and now,
when he discovered that it was in his power
to do her a service by conveying her from
Constantinople to Naples, he was only too
glad to avail himself of the opportunity.

" It is a shame, indeed, that they should
worry you so," he said sympathetically, looking
as he spoke into his fair friend's eyes in a
manner that would have carried consternation
into the hearts of not a few mothers in
England. " They worry me at home in much"
the same way. As I say to them, what's the
use of employing lawyers and Estate Agents,
and all those sort of people, if they cannot do
their work without your assistance ? You
might just as well do it yourself in the first
instance, and save their salaries. But then,

B

1 8 A Cabinet Secret

you see, I am not so clever as you are,
Countess, and that makes all the difference."

"What makes you think I am so clever,
pray ? " she enquired, looking up at him with
innocent eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," he replied; "I've
noticed it on lots of occasions. Do you
remember the day that plausible Greek
beggar worried us so in Constantinople, and
you whispered something to him that sent
him off about his business like a shot out of
a gun. And in Algiers, when that Frenchman
made himself so objectionable and you
managed to send him to the right-about
after a few moments' conversation. How you
did it I never could understand, but it was
jolly clever all the same."

The Countess regarded him attentively for
a moment. Was he really as innocent as he
made out to be, or had he noticed anything
else ? No ; one moment's examination was
sufficient to convince her that, so far as he was
concerned, all was as it should be. Strolling
to the port side of the bridge, she looked
down at the boat-load of musicians who were
strumming guitars, and bawling " Finiculi
Finicula" with all the strength of their
Southern lungs.

Introduction 19

"What a way in which to spend one's life,"
said the Duke, as he joined her, and tossed
some silver into the boat. " Fancy shouting
that wretched thing, week after week, and
year after year ! Italy is a funny country — all
bandits, soldiers, beggars and musicians. I
suppose, if the truth were known, each of
those men belongs to some secret society or
another. Either the Cammoristi, or the
Mafia, or some such organisation. How
would you like to be a conspirator, Countess,
and be always in terror of being caught ? "

The Countess's hand clenched the bar before
her, and, for a moment, her face turned
deathly pale.

"What an extraordinary question to ask,"
she began, fighting hard for her self-possession.
" Do you want to frighten me out of my wits ?
I am afraid I should make the poorest con-
spirator imaginable. I should be too deficient
in courage."

" I am not inclined to believe that," said the
Duke, reflectively. " I think you would have
plenty of courage when it was required."

" I am afraid you must think me an
altogether remarkable person," she returned.
"If you go on in this way, I shall scarcely
have presence of mind enough to remain in

2O A Cabinet Secret

your company. Seriously, however, Duke,
I don't know how to thank you for the services
you have rendered my father and myself.
But for your assistance we should not be in
Naples now, in which case we should have
been too late to have joined the party with
whom I am proceeding to England."

"You are going to England then after
all ? " he cried in great astonishment and
delight. " I thought you were only going as
far as Rome ? "

"That was our original intention," she
replied. " However, some letters that we
received to-night have altered our plans.
But why do you look so astonished ? Are we
poor foreigners not to be allowed to enter
your country ? "

" It is not that," he said. " I was so pleased
to hear that you intend honouring us with a
visit. When do you think you will reach
England, and where will you stay while you
are there ? "

She shook her head.

"Those are questions I cannot at present
answer," she said. " It will depend upon
circumstances. As our arrangements stand at
present, I think it is extremely likely that we
shall be in London in less than a week's time."

Introduction 2 1

"And will there be any means of learning
your whereabouts?" he asked. "You will
surely not be cruel enough to visit England
without permitting me to call upon you ? "

"Call by all means," she answered. "At
present, however, I cannot tell you what our
address will be, for the reason that I do not
know it myself."

" But perhaps when you are settled you
will let me know. You know my house, I
think?"

" I will do so with pleasure," she replied.
" Then you will come and see me, and I shall
be able to thank you again for the kindness
you have shown my father and myself in our
present trouble."

"It has been a very great pleasure to me,"
he said, "and I cannot thank you sufficiently
for honouring my yacht as you have done."

At that moment the elder man, to whom she
had referred as her father, made his appear-
ance on the bridge and came towards them.

"My dear," he began, "has it not struck
you that it is time for us to be thinking of
bidding His Grace farewell ? Remember we
have to start for Rome by the early train
to-morrow morning. It behoves us, therefore,
to make our preparations as soon as possible."

22 A Cabinet Secret

The Duke, however, would not hear of their
leaving the yacht before dinner, and in conse-
quence it was quite dark when the Countess
de Venetza and her father, or, to be more
correct, her reputed father, were rowed ashore
by four stalwart yachtsmen, steered by the
Duke of Rotherhithe himself. He would have
accompanied them to their hotel, but this the
Countess would not permit.

" You have done too much for us already,"
she said ; " we cannot let you do more. We
will not say aaieu, but au revoir, since, in all
probability, it will not be long before we meet

again.

" I hope, with all my heart, it may not be,"
he replied, and then the cab they had engaged
rattled away over the stones and was soon
lost to view.

The Countess's stay in Naples was a short
one, for next morning she left by an early
train for Rome. According to the plan he
had prepared, His Grace of Rotherhithe,
having made enquiries as to the trains leaving
Naples for the capital, was present on the
platform when the first took its departure.
With an eagerness that could only be accounted
for by his infatuation, he scanned the faces
of the passengers, but the lady for whom he

Introduction 23

had been so anxiously waiting was not among
them. Greatly disappointed by his discovery,
he went off in search of breakfast, only to
return a quarter of an hour before the next
train was due to leave. Unfortunately, on
this occasion, he was no more successful than
before. The train was well filled, but among
the passengers there was not one who bore
any sort of resemblance to the lady he was
hoping to see. So anxious was he to make
sure that he did not miss her, that, just before
the train started, he came within an ace of
being run into by an invalid chair, in which
was seated a man closely muffled up with
shawls. By the side of the chair walked a
nurse in English hospital uniform, who wore
large blue glasses, and carried more wraps and
a couple of cushions upon her arm. Even had
he been aware of their identity, the Duke
would have found it difficult to recognise in
the pair his guests of the previous day. It
was not the first time in their careers that they
had been compelled to adopt such disguises,
and only that morning news had reached them
to the effect that, if they desired to get safely out
of Naples, disguises such as they had assumed
would be imperative necessities. A carriage,
it appeared, had been reserved for the invalid

24 A Cabinet Secret

Englishman, and towards it they made their
way. Having seated the old gentleman in
one corner, the nurse took her seat opposite
him, and busied herself preparing for the
journey. It was not until Naples was far
behind, however, that she removed her
spectacles and the invalid discarded his wraps.

' ' That was as narrow an escape as we have
ever had," said the former. " The Head of
the Police was upon the platform, and I re-
cognised two detectives in the crowd. How-
ever, all is well that ends well, and if Luigi's
arrangements have been properly made, we
should be in Paris before they know we have
left Naples, and in London forty-eight hours
afterwards."

" Then you still feel certain that they were
aware of our presence in Naples ? "

" Luigi's message said there was no doubt
about it. Though he did not know it, they
must have been watching him, and have
followed him to the yacht. It was foolish of
him to run such a risk. Let us hope, however,
he will be able to get out of Naples without
their laying hands upon him."

Shortly after one o'clock the train reached
Rome and they alighted from it. Such
travellers as had witnessed the arrival of the

Introduction 25

invalid at the Neapolitan railway station,
would have observed now that he seemed
greatly fatigued by the journey. He was
even more muffled up than before, while the
nurse was, if possible, more assiduous in
her attentions than she had been at the
southern station. It was noticeable also
that she was a poor Italian scholar. Indeed,
her pronunciation of such words as she did
know was of the most erratic and elementary
description.

Later in the day, just as dusk was falling,
an artist's model, in the picturesque dress of
the country, might have been observed making
her way slowly down the Via Sistina in the
direction of the Piazza S. Trinita de' Monti.
She appeared to be familiar with the neigh-
bourhood, though, on the other hand, no one
seemed to have any acquaintance with her.
She had reached the Casa Zuccheri, when she
was stopped by a tall artistic-looking man, who
walked with great uprightness, and carried
a portfolio beneath his arm. For the benefit
of the passers by, he enquired in broken Italian,
whether the girl could inform him as to the
locality of a certain artist's studio, whereupon
she personally offered to conduct him to it.

26 A Cabinet Secret

He thanked her courteously, and proceeded
with her in the direction indicated. They had
no sooner left the vicinity of the Via Sistina,
however, than he turned to her and said, in
the purest Italian : " I was afraid you were
not coming. You are very late."

" I am aware of that," the girl replied. " I
had a suspicion that I was being watched.
Now, what have you to tell me ? "

" You saw Luigi in Naples, I believe ? "

" He met me there, with Conrad," the girl
answered. " I could not help thinking that it
was an imprudence on his part."

" Luigi is always imprudent ; and yet I can-
not help feeling that he is safer in his folly
than we are in our care. He told you of the
scheme the Council had originated ? "

The girl nodded an assent.

" He gave me to understand, however, that
you would furnish me with full particulars," she
said.

" I am prepared to do so now," her com-
panion replied.

As he said this, he led her from the main
street into a dark alley, where, having con-
vinced himself that they had not been followed,
he set to work and told his tale. So anxious
was he that there should be no mistake

Introduction 27

about the matter, that when he had finished
it he began it again, only to repeat it a
third time. The woman listened with rapt
attention.

" In conclusion," said he, " I might add that
the money will be paid to your credit at what-
ever London Bank you may select. One of
the- most handsome residences, replete with all
the necessaries, has been taken for you in a
fashionable quarter, and on your arrival in
London you will be left to act as your
knowledge of the situation and the dictates
of the Council may determine. It is needless
to caution you as to the risks you may be
called upon to run. The Council has, more-
over, authorised me to say that it places
implicit trust in your discretion. Should you
require further advice, it will be furnished
you at once, with any help that may be con-
sidered needful."

" In the meantime, Paris is the first stage,"
the girl answered. " You are quite certain
that this Englishman, Sir George Manderville,
has not yet returned to England?"

" No, he is still there," her companion
replied. " We have learnt, however, that
he will cross the channel on Friday next."

"On Friday next?" she repeated. "In

28 A Cabinet Secret

that case there is no time to lose. At first
glance it would appear that he is the key to
the situation."

" That is exactly the opinion of the Council,"
the man answered. " Now, farewell, and may
good luck attend you ! "

So saying they retraced their steps to the
main street. At the entrance to the alley
they separated, the girl returning to the Via
Sistina — the man going off in an opposite
direction.

By the first train next morning the Countess
de Venetza made an unostentatious departure
from Rome, for Paris, accompanied by her
father and her cousin, Conrad, Count Reiffen-
burg.

CHAPTER I

A S a preface, I might explain that I have
7* had the pleasure of knowing Paris and
De Belleville for more than twenty years.
Both are, therefore, old friends, the city and
the man. The fact, however, remains, that
De Belleville, though a most charming com-
panion, has one fault. Few people would
be prepared to admit it, but unfortunately, I
am not only compelled to recognise it,
but to proclaim it to the world. As a friend,
he has not his equal — at least so far as I am
concerned ; he is certainly not punctual, how-
ever. It is of that I complain. I have
remonstrated with him on the subject times
out of number, but it makes no sort of
difference. If one has an appointment with
him, he is invariably late, but when he does
put in an appearance, he will greet you with
such charming assurance, that you feel angry
with yourself for having been led into com-
menting upon the lapse of time.

3O A Cabinet Secret

On the particular afternoon which I am now
about to describe to you, we had arranged to
meet at my hotel and then to go on together
to call upon the D'Etrebilles, who were just
off to Cairo and the Upper Nile. He had
promised to be with me at three o'clock, and,
as usual, at twenty minutes past the hour he
had not put in an appearance. Now, I flatter
myself that I am a punctual man in every
respect, and when one is ready to go out,
a twenty minutes' wait is an annoyance calcu-
lated to test the serenest temper. In my case
it was certainly so, and, as I sat in the pictur-
esque courtyard of the hotel, you may be sure
I called down the reverse of blessings upon
De Belleville's handsome head. Carriage after
carriage drove up, but not one of them
contained my friend. I took a third cigarette
from my case and lit it, and as I did so, lay
back in my chair and amused myself watching
my neighbours.

To my thinking, there are few places more
interesting (that is, of course, provided one
has a weakness for studying character) than
a hotel courtyard. In sheer idleness I specu-
lated as to the nationality and relationship
of the various people about me. There were
several probable Russians, one or two un-

A Cabinet Secret 31

doubted Germans, two whom I set down as
Italians, one might have been a Greek, but
the majority were undoubtedly English. And
that reminds me that, as I waited, I was the
witness of an amusing altercation between a
cabman and an English lady of considerable
importance and mature years. Both were
playing at cross purpose, and it was not
until the Hotel Commissionaire, the deus ex
machina, so to speak, appeared upon the
scene and interposed, that the matter at issue
was satisfactorily adjusted.

"Your pardon, Madame," he said, bow-
ing low, "but ze man meant no harm. It
was his misfortune that he did not com-
prehend the words what Madame said to
him."

For a person who prided himself upon his
tact, the poor fellow could scarcely have said
a more unfortunate thing. The matter of the
overcharge, Madame could have understood
and have forgiven, but to be informed in so
many words that her knowledge of the French
tongue was deficient, was an insult not only
to her intelligence, and to her experience, but
also to the money that had been spent upon
her education. Casting a withering glance
at the unhappy functionary, she departed into

32 A Cabinet Secret

the hotel, every hair of her head bristling
with indignation, while the Commissionaire,
shrugging his shoulders, went forward to
receive a tall, picturesque individual, who at
that moment had driven up.

The new-comer interested me exceedingly.
In my own mind I instantly set him down as a
dilettante Englishman of good birth and educa-
tion. He looked the sort of being who would
spend the greater part of his time in
foreign picture-galleries and cathedrals ; who
would carry his Ruskin continually in his
pocket, and who would probably end by writ-
ing a volume of travels "for private circula-
tion only" I should not have been surprised
had I been told that he dabbled a little
in water-colours, or to have heard that he
regarded Ruskin as the greatest writer, and
Turner as the greatest painter, of our era.
One thing at least was self-evident, and that
was the fact that he was a person of consider-
able importance at this particular hotel. The
Commissionaire bowed before him as if he
were a foreign potentate, while the maitre
cChdtel received him with as much respect as
if he had been an American millionaire. When
he in his turn disappeared into the building,
I beckoned the Commissionaire to my side.

A Cabinet Secret 33

" Who is that gentleman that has just entered
the hotel?" I enquired.

"Is it possible that Monsieur does not know
him ? " the man replied, with an expression of
wonderment upon his face.

His answer more than ever convinced me
that the other was a very great man, at least a
German princeling, perhaps an Austrian arch-
duke.

" No," I said, " I do not know him. As a
matter of fact, I do not remember ever having
seen him before. Who is he ? "

" He is Monsieur Dickie Bucks," answered the
Commissionaire, with as much respect as if he
were talking of the Czar of all the Russias.

My illusion vanished in a trice. " Dickie
Bucks, — Dickie Bucks," I repeated to myself.
" Gracious heavens ! what a name for such a
man ! And pray who is Mr Dickie Bucks, for
I assure you his fame has not yet reached
me?"

" Monsieur surely knows the great book-
maker," said the man, with an air of incred-
ulity. "He is the great bookmaker, the very
greatest, perhaps, in all England. Monsieur is
not perhaps aware that there are races at
Auteuil to-morrow."

And so my dilettante Englishman, my artist,

c

34 ^ Cabinet Secret

my amateur author, was, after all, nothing more
than a famous betting man, who, had I spoken
to him of Ruskin, would probably have offered
to lay me five to one against him for the
Lincolnshire Handicap, and would have in-
formed me that there was a general opinion
in Sporting Circles that " Sesame and Lilies"
was not the stayer she was popularly supposed
to be. Well, well, it only proves how little our
judgment is to be trusted, and how important it is
that we should not pin our faith upon externals.
I was still moralising in this fashion when
a smart equipage drove up to the steps,
and the Commissionaire once more went
forward to do his duty. In the carriage a
lady and gentleman were seated, and it was
evident, from the fact that a man, — who until
that moment had been sitting near the hotel
door — hastened forward to greet them, that
their arrival had been expected by one person
in the hotel at least. As the trio I am now
about to describe to you are destined to play an
extraordinary part in the story I have to tell,
I may, perhaps, be excused if I bestow upon
them a little more attention than I should
otherwise feel justified in doing. Out of
gallantry, if for no other reason, it is only
proper that I should commence with the lady.

A Cabinet Secret 35

That she was not English was quite certain.
It was difficult to say, however, to what Euro-
pean nation she belonged. Her face, from the
moment I first saw it, interested me strangely.
And yet, while it was beautiful, it was not that
which altogether attracted me. I say altogether,
for the reason that it owed more, perhaps, to its
general expression than to the mere beauty of
any individual feature. It was a countenance,
however, that once seen would not be likely to
be forgotten. The eyes were large and
thoughtful, and of a darkness that suggested
Southern birth. The mouth was small, but
exquisitely moulded, the lips full, and the teeth,
when they showed themselves, delightfully
white and even. Her hair was black and,
what is not commonly the case with hair of
that colour, was soft and wavy. Though it
would have been difficult to find fault with her
attire, a fastidious critic might have observed
that it was not of the very latest fashion. In
London, it is possible it might have passed
muster, but in Paris it was just one pin-prick
behind the acme of the prevailing mode. As I
looked at her I wondered who she might be.
The eyes, at a hazard, might have been set
down as Italian, the hair as Spanish, the nose
had a suggestion of the Greek, while the sum

36 A Cabinet Secret

total spoke for Southern France, or, at any rate
a country bordering upon the Mediterranean.

As I have already said, her companions were
two in number. The elder, who had driven
up with the lady I have been endeavouring to
describe, was a tall and handsome man of a
little past middle age. He carried himself with
considerable erectness, might very well have
once been a soldier, and was possibly the
lady's father. When he descended from the
carriage, I noticed that he was a little lame
on his left leg, and that he walked with a
stick. Like his companion he was the pos-
sessor of dark eyes, but with the difference
that they looked out upon the world from
beneath white bushy eyebrows, a fact which,
combined with his fierce grey moustache, pro-
duced a most singular effect He also was
fashionably attired, that is to say, he wore the
regulation frock coat and silk hat, but, as was

o *

the case with the lady, there was the suggestion
of being just a trifle behind the times.

As much could not be said of the second
man. the individual who had been seated
near the door awaiting their coming. So
far as outward appearances were concerned
he was the pink of fashion, and not only of
fashion, but of everything else. Tall, lithe,

A Cabinet Secret 37

handsome, and irreproachably turned out, from
the curl of his dainty moustache to his superbly
shod feet, he appeared at first glance to be a
typical boutevarditr. Yet when one looked
more closely at him, he did not strike one as
beine the sort of man who would idle his life

Q

away on the pavements or in the clubs. I
could very well imagine his face looking out
from beneath a helmet or kepi, under a tar-
busk with Arabi, or a sombrero with Balma-
ceda — anywhere, in point of fact, where there
was vigorous life and action. He would
certainly be a good shot, and, I reflected,
not very particular what he shot at, that is
to say, whether it was at man or beast, or
both. For the moment, however, he was
content to hand his fair friend from her
carriage with the most fastidious politeness.
They stood for a moment talking at the foot
of the steps. Then they ascended, and, enter-
ing the hotel, were lost to my sight ; where-
upon I resettled myself in my chair with the
reflection that they were the most interesting
people I should be likely to see that afternoon,
and then went on to wonder why De Belleville
did not put in an appearance. Then another
carriage drove up, and a moment later he stood
before me.

38 A Cabinet Secret

"I must offer you ten thousand pardons,
cher ami" said he, as we shook hands. " I
fear I have kept you waiting an unpardonable
time. Forgive me, I implore you ; I am
prostrated with sorrow."

The words were apologetic enough, but the
face belied the assertion. A more cheerful
countenance could scarcely have been dis-
covered in all Paris. I had promised myself
that I would give him a good rating for his
unpunctuality, but, as usual, I found that
when he did arrive it was impossible for me
to be angry with him. De Belleville, as I
have already remarked, boasts the most in-
gratiating manners I know ; is an ideal
companion, for the reason that he is never
put out or, apart from his unpunctuality, puts
others out. He is one of the best hosts in
Europe, and regards life as life regards him,
that is to say, with invariable cheerfulness and
goodfellowship.

Having taken our places in the carriage,
we set off for the D'Etrebilles' residence in
the Faubourg St Germain. Throughout the
drive my companion rattled on continually.
He was well up, none better, in the gossip of
the day, and could use his knowledge to the
wittiest effect. Fortunately, the D'Etrebilles

A Cabinet Secret 39

were at home, and appeared delighted to see
us. They were, moreover, kind enough to
congratulate me upon my acceptance of my
new position in the English Cabinet.

"As you are strong, be merciful," said
D'Etrebille, with a smile. " Remember, the
peace of Europe is in your hands, and at the
end of your term of office we shall require it
of you again intact."

"A life-long study of European politics,"
said De Belleville, " has convinced me that
the peace of Europe is never so much assured
as when the various nations are struggling
to be at each other's throats. This is a
point of which so many people, renowned for
their political perspicuity, seem to lose sight.
Our very good friend and visitor, the Czar,
would have us disarm and turn our swords
into ploughshares. By this time, however, he
must agree that, if only from a humanitarian
point of view, he has made a mistake. It
may appear paradoxical, but there is certainly
nothing that promotes peace so much as war.
I never feel sure in my own mind that the
next year will be a quiet one until I am told
that the military bloodhounds are about to be
unchained. By the way, what do you think of
your country's prospects of war in South Africa?"

4O A Cabinet Secret

" If I am to judge the situation by your
own theory, I should say that the possibilities
are remote," I replied. " From my own
stand-point, however, I am by no means so
optimistic. The look-out is undoubtedly a
grave one, and, while I have the greatest
faith in our strength to assert our own
supremacy, I cannot help thinking that matters
may in the end prove somewhat different to
our expectations."

Without wishing to pose as a prophet after
the event, on looking back on all that has
happened, I cannot help being struck by the
aptness of my prophecy. This, however, is
no place for such reflections. What I have
to do is to tell my story as quickly and con-
cisely as possible, and, above all, to avoid
undue digressions.

Strange indeed is the way in which a face
or a voice once seen or heard, if only for a
moment, has the power of seizing and taking
possession of the memory, when there is
little or no reason that it should not be
forgotten. It was certainly so in my case
on this particular afternoon, for, during the
time I was with the D'Etrebilles, during our
drive in the Bois afterwards, and in fact for
the remainder of the evening, the face of the

A Cabinet Secret 41

woman I had seen entering my hotel a few
hours before, haunted me continually.

It went to the Opera with me, accompanied
me to a supper at the Amphitryon Club
afterwards, and returned with me again to
my hotel. The memory of a pair of beautiful
eyes, such as hers undoubtedly were, might
appear to many men a light burden to have
placed upon them. By some strange irony
of Fate, however, it was otherwise with me.
Instead of being charmed by them, I dreaded
them with a fear that was as inexplicable as
it was unpleasant. I laughed at myself for
my folly, ascribed my absurd condition to
indigestion, and endeavoured by every means
in my power to drive the matter from my mind.
I went to bed and tried to sleep. I was not
successful, however. When I closed my eyes,
the eyes of the woman were still there, gazing
at me with a steadfastness that produced a sensa-
tion almost describable as hypnotic. I tried to
picture other scenes, recalled the events of
the day — De Belleville's prophecies for the
future — his witty remarks on Paris topics —
but without success. At last, unable to bear
it any longer, I rose from my bed, turned on
the electric light, and, having donned a
dressing-gown, began to pace the room. I

42 A Cabinet Secret

had drunk scarcely any wine that evening,
so that my condition could not be ascribed
to that source. Nevertheless, an ill defined,
yet none the less real, fear was steadily taking
possession of me. I could not remember ever
having been affected in this way before.
Could it be that I had not the same power
over my intellect as of yore? In other words,
was this the beginning of some brain trouble
that would eventually land me in a lunatic
asylum ? I knew in my inmost heart that such
was not the case. Yet how to account for
the eyes that haunted me so peculiarly, I could
not say. Until I had seen the woman's face
that afternoon, I had been as rational and
evenly balanced a man as could have been
discovered in the French capital. No ! it
was all nonsense! My internal* economy was
a little out of gear, my nerves and brain were
indirectly affected, and this illusion was the
result. In that case the eyes, haunting as
they were, would disappear before the magic
wand of Calomel.

Being too wide awake to return to bed,
I seated myself in a chair and took up a
book on the Eastern Question which I had
been reading during the day, and in which I
was greatly interested. The fact that I did

A Cabinet Secret 43

not entertain the same views with regard to

o

the Russo - Chinese - Japanese entente as the
author only added to my enjoyment of the
work. I remembered that when I had taken
it up in the morning I had found it difficult
to lay it aside again ; now, however, though
I glued my eyes to the pages by sheer will
pressure, I was scarcely conscious of the printed
words before me. As I read, or rather tried
to read, it appeared to me that somebody was
standing in the room, a few paces from my
chair, intently regarding me. More than once
I involuntarily looked up, only to find, as it
is needless to state, that there was no one
there. At last I put down the book in
despair, went to the window and, leaning my
arms upon the sill, looked out. Sleeping Paris
lay before and around me, scarcely a sound
was to be heard ; once the roll of distant
carriage-wheels, from the Rue de Rivoli, came
up to me, then the irregular striking of the
clocks in the neighbourhood announcing the
hour of three.

As I stood at the window, I thought
of the crisis which England was approach-
ing. Many years had elapsed since she
had been involved in a great war. In these
days epoch succeeds epoch with incredible

44 ^ Cabinet Secret

rapidity, and public opinion has the knack of
changing with each one. The stolidity, the
self-reserve, the faculty of being able to take
the hard knocks and yet continue the fight,
that had characterised us at the time of
Waterloo and the Crimea, did that still exist ?
Then again, were we as fully prepared as we
might be ? Were our Generals as competent
as of yore, or had the long spell of peace
wrought a change in them also ? They were
weighty questions, and a man might very well
have been pardoned had he asked them of
himself with an anxious heart. Our "splendid
isolation " had been the jeer and taunt of the
world. Would that very isolation prove our
downfall, if by any evil chance matters took a
wrong turn with us ? For a moment I could
see England as she would be were her armies
to be defeated in the present struggle. The
croaking prophecies of her enemies would have
proved too true, and she would be at the
mercy of the yelping mob that had once only
dared to bark and snap at her from a distance.
" O God ! grant that such a thing may never
come to pass," I muttered, and, as the prayer
escaped my lips, there shaped themselves in
the darkness in front of me, the eyes that
had haunted me all the afternoon and evening.

A Cabinet Secret 45

As I gazed into their soulless depths, a sensation
of icy coldness passed over me.

" This will never do," I said to myself.
" If I go on like this I shall have to see a
doctor ; and yet how ridiculous it is. Why that
woman's eyes should haunt me so I cannot
understand. In all probability I shall never
see her again, and if I do, it will only be to
discover that she is very beautiful, but in no
respect different to other people."

But while I endeavoured to convince myself
that it was all so absurd, I had the best of
reasons for knowing that it was not so silly as
I was anxious to suppose. At any rate, I did
not go to bed again, and when, some hours
later, my servant came to call me, he found me
seated at my table, busily engaged writing
letters. Years seemed to have elapsed since
I had bade him good-night.

The last day of my stay in Paris had
dawned, and, after my experience of the night,
I began to think that I was not altogether
sorry for it. A cold tub, however, somewhat
revived me, and when I left my room I was,
to all intents and purposes, myself once
more.

It is one of those little idiosyncrasies in my
character which afford my friends such an

46 A Cabinet Secret

excellent opportunity for making jokes at my
expense, that when I go to Rome, Paris,
Berlin, St Petersburg, or any other city I
may be in the habit of visiting, that I in-
variably stay at the same hotel and insist
on being given the same bedroom I have
occupied on previous occasions. For some
reason a strange room is most obnoxious to
me. In Paris, worthy Monsieur Frezmony
is good enough to let me have a suite of
apartments at the end of a long corridor on
the first floor. They boast an excellent view
from the windows, of the gardens of the
Tuileries, and the whole suite is, above all,
easy of access at any hour of the day or night.
On this particular occasion, having dressed,
I left my room and passed along the corridor
in order to descend to the hall below. I was
only a few paces from the head of the stairs
when a door directly opposite opened, and a
lady emerged and descended the stairs in front
of me. She was dressed for going out, but,
for the reason that my letters had just been
handed to me and I was idly glancing at the
envelopes, beyond noticing this fact, I bestowed
but little more attention on her. She had
reached the first landing, and I was some few
steps behind her, when the chink of something

A Cabinet Secret 47

falling caught my ears. Surely enough when
I, in my turn, reached the landing I discovered
a small bracelet lying upon the carpet. I im-
mediately picked it up with the intention of
returning it. But the lady was too quick for
me and had reached the courtyard before I
could set foot in the hall. A carriage was
awaiting her coming at the foot of the steps,
and she had already taken her place in it when
I approached her. For the reason that she
was putting up her parasol, it was impossible
for me to see her face, but when she lifted it
on hearing my voice, I discovered, to my
amazement, that she was none other than the
lady whose arrival I had witnessed on the
previous afternoon, and whose eyes had had
such a strange effect upon me ever since.

" Permit me to ask if this is your property,
madam ? " I began, holding out the bracelet as
I spoke. " I had the good fortune to discover
it on the stairs just after you passed."

"Ah, yes, it is mine," she answered in
excellent French, and in a voice that was
low and musical. " I would not have lost
it for anything. It was careless of me to
have dropped it. I thank you most heartily."

She bowed, and at a signal from the Com-
missionaire, the coachman started his horses,

48 A Cabinet Secret

and a moment later the carriage had left the
courtyard.

For some moments after it had passed out
of sight I stood looking in the direction it had
taken. Then turning to the Commissionaire
who stood before me, I enquired if it were in
his power to tell me the name of the lady to
whom I had rendered so small a service.

" She is Madame la Comtesse de Venetza,"
the man replied.

" The Countess de Venetza ? " said I to
myself, " that tells me nothing. It sounds
Italian. At the same time it might be
almost anything else."

Circumstances forbade me that I should
question the man further, though the tempta-
tion was sufficiently great. Nothing remained,
therefore, but to withdraw and to derive what
consolation I could from the fact that I had
spoken to her and knew her name.

" The Countess de Venetza," I repeated, as
I made my way up the steps once more. The
name had suddenly come to have a strange
fascination for me. I found myself repeating
it again and again, each time deriving a new
sensation from it.

Having procured a morning paper, I returned
to the verandah, seated myself in the place I

A Cabinet Secret 49

had occupied on the previous afternoon, when
I had first seen the Countess, and turned my
attention to the English news. If the in-
formation set forth there were to be believed,
there could be no sort of doubt that we were
distinctly nearer the trouble which had been
brewing for so long. The wildest rumours
were afloat, and the versions printed in the
Parisian papers were not of a nature calculated
to allay my fears. If what they said were
correct there could be no doubt that England
was standing face to face with one of the
greatest dangers that had threatened her in
her life as a nation. And yet it was im-
possible to believe that the Might, Majesty,
Dominion, and power of Great Britain could
be successfully defied by a rabble horde
such as we knew the Boers to be. But had
we not the remembrance of '81 continually
with us to remind us that on another lament-
able occasion we had been too sanguine ?
This time, I told myself, it was vitally
necessary that it should be all going forward
and no drawing back. If we set our hands to
the plough, it must be with a rigorous deter-
mination not to remove them until the task
we had set ourselves should be accomplished.
At last I threw down my paper in disgust.
D

50 A Cabinet Secret

An overwhelming desire to thrash every
journalistic cur who yelped at the heels of
the British Lion was fast taking possession of
me. For the first time since I had known her,
Paris was positively distasteful to me.

" Perhaps monsieur will pardon me if I ask
permission to glance at the paper he has just
thrown down," said a polite voice at my elbow.
" I have tried to obtain one at the hotel, but
without success."

Turning, I saw beside me the taller of the
two men I had seen with the Countess de
Venetza on the preceding afternoon — the man
with the bushy eyebrows who had driven up
with her in the carriage, and who was lame.

"Take it by all means," I replied, handing
it to him as I spoke. " I doubt, however, if
you will find anything in it but a series of
insults to England and her soldiers. That
seems to be the metier of the Parisian Press
just now."

" It is a thousand pities," the stranger
replied, slowly and solemnly ; u and the more
to be regretted for the reason that it does not
voice the public sentiment."

I had no desire to be drawn into a political
controversy with a man who, for all I knew to
the contrary, might be an anarchist, a police

A Cabinet Secret 51

spy, or an equally undesirable acquaintance.
I accordingly allowed him to seat himself at
some little distance from me and to peruse his
paper in peace. He was still reading it when
a carriage drove up, bringing the Countess de
Venetza back to the hotel. Seeing her friend
she approached him, whereupon he rose to
greet her, still retaining the newspaper in his
hand.

A few moments later another carriage drove
up, and, when it came to a standstill, the weD-
dressed individual who had waited in the
verandah on the previous afternoon, alighted.
That he was much agitated could be seen at
first glance. I noticed also that he was doing

o o

his best to conceal the fact. As he approached
his friends, he raised his hat with ceremonious
politeness. Then he said something in an
undertone which would have been inaudible
more than a few paces away. The effect
upon his comrades was electrical. The man
gave a start of astonishment and horror, while
the woman turned deathly pale, and for a
moment looked as if she were about to faint.
With an effort, however, she recovered her self-
possession, and as she did so I noticed out of
the corner of my eye (for the life of me I could
not help watching them), that the man who

52 A Cabinet Secret

had brought this disconcerting intelligence
turned quickly round as if to satisfy himself
that her agitation had not been noticed by any
one near at hand. Next moment they were
walking slowly towards the main entrance, the
woman's hands clenching and unclenching at
every step. It was no business of mine, of
course, but I felt as certain that the drama
I had seen acted in front of me was of vital
importance to the trio, but more especially so
far as the woman was concerned. Had I
known what the communication was, it is just
possible I might have been able to avert what
promised to be a great National calamity, and
one which even now I can scarcely contemplate
without a shudder.

How I came to know these things and how
innocently I walked into the trap that had
been so artfully laid for me, you shall hear.
Believe me, if I say, without conceit, that
the story is an exceedingly interesting one.

CHAPTER II

TV/TY arrangements were completed, and in
spite of De Belleville's entreaty that I
should remain for at least another day, I was
adamant in my determination to leave Paris for
England that night. I n view of the existing state
of affairs there, it would be a truism to say that
there was much to be done before the assembling
of Parliament ; it behoved us all, we knew, to
put our shoulders to the wheel and to do our
utmost to help our country in her hour of need.
Accordingly, the appointed moment found me
at the railway station, whither my servant
had preceded me. Williams is the best
courier as well as the best servant in existence,
and when I reached the platform it was to find
my compartment reserved for me, my books
and papers spread out to my hand, my cap and
travelling rug in readiness, and the faithful man
himself on guard at the door. It only wanted
three minutes to starting time, and already the

53

54 A Cabinet Secret

various functionaries were busying themselves
with intending passengers.

"It looks as if we shall have a full train,
Williams," I said, as I stood at the door gazing
down the platform. " Let us hope we shall
have a good crossing ! "

" The weather report is favourable, sir," he
replied.

I returned to the other end of the carriage
to look for my cigar-case and was in the act of
cutting a weed when I heard Williams' voice
raised as if in expostulation.

" I must beg your pardon, sir," he was saying
in his curious French, that no experience ever
makes any better or any worse, " but this is a
reserved compartment."

" But, my good fellow, there is no more room
in the train," said a voice I instantly recognised.
" Pray speak to your master and I am sure he
will not deny our request."

I walked to the door where this conversation
was being carried on, to discover the lady and
the two men who have already figured so
prominently in my narrative, standing upon the
platform.

" I am afraid we are taking an unwarrantable
liberty in asking such a favour from you," the
elder man began, " but by our carelessness we

A Cabinet Secret 55

are placed in a dilemma. We omitted to
secure a compartment, and now the train is so
full that we cannot procure seats. It is most
necessary for us to cross to London to-night,
and unless you will go so far out of your way
as to permit us to share your carriage with you,
I fear we must remain behind. The train is
about to start even now."

Though I had no desire for their company,
courtesy forbade that I should insist upon my
rights. Nothing remained for it, therefore, but
for me to submit with as much graciousnes as I
could assume.

" Pray step in," I said. " It is the fault of
the Railway Authorities who should provide
sufficient accommodation for travellers. May I
ask which seat you prefer, madame ? "

With an expression of her thanks she chose
the corner at the further end of the compart-
ment, and opposite the corner Williams had
prepared for me. Her companions followed
her, and a moment later the train moved slowly
out of the station and our journey had com-
menced. That journey will be remembered
by two of our number, at least, so long
as they can recollect anything. I am not
going to pretend that I felt at my ease for
the first part of it. Far from it. I fancy the

56 A Cabinet Secret

Countess must have noticed this, for she did
not address me for some time, vouchsafing me
an opportunity of becoming accustomed to the
novelty of the situation. Then, feeling that it
was incumbent on me to do the honours of the
compartment, I offered her her choice of
papers. She chose one, and, when she had
opened it, assured me that I was at liberty to
smoke, should I care to do so. Her com-
panions had also made themselves at home, so
that by the time our train ran through Ailly-
sur-Noye we might have been said to have
been on comparatively intimate terms with
each other.

" I have an idea that my father and I have
had the pleasure of meeting an old friend of
yours lately," said the Countess, when the
station to which I have just referred was a
thing of the past and we were speeding on
towards the sea.

" Really ! " I replied, with some little
astonishment. " Pray, who might that friend
be?"

"The Duke of Rotherhithe," she returned,
and, as she said it, she neatly folded the
paper she had been reading and laid it on
the seat beside her.

"A friend of mine, indeed," I answered.

A Cabinet Secret 57

" I fancied, however, that he was yachting- in
the Mediterranean ? "

"Exactly! He was! We met him quite
by chance in Constantinople, and, finding that
we were anxious to reach Naples as quickly as
possible, he offered to convey us thither in his
yacht. I remember that he spoke most kindly
of you."

" The dear fellow ! " I replied. " We were at
school together and afterwards at the 'Varsity."

So easily impressed is the human mind
by former associations, that the mere fact
that the Countess de Venetza and her father
had lately been the guests of my old friend,
Rotherhithe, was sufficient to make me treat
them in an entirely different fashion to what
I had hitherto done. Until that time I had
rather prided myself upon being a somewhat
sceptical man of the world, but, now I was
giving splendid proofs of my peculiar suscepti-
bility. There was, however, a grain of
suspicion still lingering about me. I accord-
ingly proceeded to indirectly question her
concerning my friend, and, as I noticed that
she answered without hesitation or any
attempt at concealment, my doubts faded
away until they vanished altogether. We
talked of the Princess Balroubadour with

58 A Cabinet Secret

the familiarity of old friends ; Rotherhithe's
antipathy to those whom he described as
"foreigners" afforded us conversation for
another five minutes ; while the Malapropisms,
if I may coin a word, of his head steward,
were sufficient to carry us through two more
stations without a single break in the conversa-
tion. We discussed the various Ports of the
Mediterranean, ran up to Assuan in a
dahabiyeh) and afterwards made a pilgrimage
to Sinai together. The Countess was a witty
conversationalist and, as I discovered, a close
observer of all that went on around her. Her
father and cousin, beyond putting in a word
now and again, scarcely spoke, but seemed
absorbed in their books and papers.

At last we reached Calais, and it became
necessary for us to leave the train. It was a
beautiful evening ; the sea was as smooth
as glass, while there was not enough wind to
stir the pennant on the steamer's masthead.

" I am sure we cannot thank you enough
for permitting us to share your carriage," said
the Countess as we left the train and prepared
to go on board the steamer. "Had it not
been for your kindness, I fear we should still
be in Paris, instead of being well on our way
to England."

A Cabinet Secret 59

I returned something appropriate to this
remark, then, side by side, we boarded the
steamer.

" Since you have been yachting with the
Duke of Rotherhithe," I said, when we had
gained the deck, "it is only fair to suppose
that you are a good sailor, Countess ? "

" Oh, yes ! " she answered, with a little
laugh; "I am an excellent sailor. But—
forgive my asking the question — how did you
become aware of my identity?"

" I happened to hear your name at the
hotel this morning," I replied. "It was told
me after I had restored the bangle you so
nearly lost."

At this moment her father put in an
appearance and caused a diversion by en-
quiring after the safety of her jewel-case,
which, it appeared, stood in continual danger
of being lost. A few seconds later the boat
was under weigh and we had said good-bye
to French soil. As we left the place of
embarkation it seemed to me that my com-
panion gave a little sigh, and noticing that
it was followed by a slight shiver, I enquired
whether she felt cold. She replied in the
negative, though at the same time she drew
her furs a little closer round her.

60 A Cabinet Secret

" I wonder whether certain places affect
you as they do me," she said, when the
French port lay well astern and we were
heading for the white cliffs of England. " It
is strange that I never leave Calais without
undergoing a decided feeling of depression.
I don't know why it should be so ; it is a
fact, nevertheless."

" I hope it is not the thought of visiting
England that causes it ? " I replied with
an attempt at jocularity. " You have visited
our country before, of course ? "

" Very often," she answered ; " we have
many friends in England."

"In the list of whom I hope you will permit
me some day to number myself?" I continued
with an eagerness that was not at all usual
with me.

" I shall be very pleased," she returned
quietly, and then looked away across the still
water to where a French pilot cutter lay be-
calmed half a mile or so away.

An hour later we reached Dover.

Just as we were entering the harbour, the
Countess's father approached me and thanked
me effusively for my kindness in permitting
them to share my carriage from Paris.

" But you must not let my generosity, such

A Cabinet Secret 61

as it is, cease there ! " I replied. " I hope
you will also share my carriage to London,
that is to say if the Countess is not already
too tired of my society."

"It would be ungenerous to say so if I
were," she answered with a smile. " But if
you, on your side, do not feel that we have
trespassed too far already, I am sure we shall
be only too glad to accept your kind offer."

The Custom authorities having been satis-
fied as to the innocence of our baggage, we
took our seats in the carriage which had been
reserved for me. My indispensable Williams
made his appearance with an armful of
papers, and then we started upon the last
stage of our journey. When I had handed
the Countess a copy of the Globe, I selected
a Pall Mall for myself, and turned to
the page containing the latest war news.
From what I found there, there could
be no doubt that the situation was hourly
increasing in danger. There were complications
on every side, and the position was not
rendered easier by the fact that a certain
number of prominent politicians were en-
deavouring to make capital out of the
difficulties of the Government.

" I suppose there can now be no doubt as to

62 A Cabinet Secret

the probability of war?" said Count Reiffenburg,
looking up from his paper as he spoke.

" None whatever, I should say," I an-
swered. "If the papers are to be believed
the clouds are blacker and heavier than they
have yet been. I fear the storm must burst
ere long."

The Countess did not take any part in our
conversation, but I fancied that she was listen-
ing. Not feeling any desire to continue the
discussion with the younger man, I returned
to my paper, leaving him to follow my example.
A few minutes later the Countess put down
her Globe, and sat looking out upon the country
through which we were passing.

" I see they have captured another
notorious anarchist in Naples," I said, after
we had been sitting in silence for some
minutes. "So far as can be gathered from
the report given here, the arrest is likely to
prove important in more respects than one."

" Indeed," said the Countess, looking steadily
at me as she spoke. " The police are certainly
becoming more expeditious in the matter of
arrests. The only difficulty they experience
is the finding of any substantial crime against
their victims when they have brought about
their capture. Pray, who is this particular man?"

A Cabinet Secret 63

" An individual rejoicing in the romantic
name of Luigi Ferreira," I answered. "It
appears that they have been endeavouring
to lay their hands upon him for some time
past. Until now, however, he has managed
to slip through their fingers."

"Poor fellow!" said the Countess, still in
the same even voice. " I hope it will not
prejudice you against me, but I cannot help
feeling a little sympathy for people — however
misguided they may be — who imperil their
own safety for the sake of bringing about
what they consider the ultimate happiness of
others."

Then, as though the matter no longer
interested her, she returned to the perusal
of her paper. Her cousin had all this time
been drumming with his fingers in an im-
patient manner, so I thought, upon the glass
of the window beside which he sat. For
my own part, I scarcely knew what to make
of this young man. Though he did not
show it openly, I could not help thinking
that he was jealous of the attention I was
paying his fair cousin. As the idea crossed
my mind I remembered the previous afternoon,
when I had sat in the portico of the hotel,
speculating as to the nationality and lives of

64 A Cabinet Secret

the people about me. How little I had
thought then that twenty - four hours later
would find me seated with them in an
English railway carriage, discussing the for-
tune of another man with whom neither I,
nor they, for the matter of that — at least,
so I then supposed — had even the remotest
connection.

It was not until we were approaching the
end of our journey that I spoke to my vis-a-vis
concerning her stay in London.

"We shall in all probability remain in
London for some three or four months," she
said. " I hope, if you can spare the time,
that you will call upon me. I have taken
Wiltshire House, by the way, and shall be
most pleased to see you."

I must confess that her announcement caused
me a considerable amount of surprise. All things
considered, it was rather a strange coincidence,
for, only that morning, I had received a letter
from my sister Ethelwyn, who, as you are
doubtless aware, is the Countess of Brewarden,
in which occurred the following significant
passage (Ethelwyn, I might here remark, is
somewhat given to the florid style) : —

" Existence is now altogether a blank ! the dream of
mv life — Wiltshire House — has vanished. Some rich

A Cabinet Secret 65

foreigner has taken it, and in consequence George
(my brother-in-law) and I have quarrelled desperately.
He declares it is a good thing it is let, as he couldn't
think of it. He moreover avers that it would cost a
king's ransom to keep up. Nevertheless, I shall detest
the foreigner whoever she or he may be."

I can scarcely say how I derived the im-
pression, but, until that moment, I had not
supposed my fair friend to be the possessor of
any great wealth. It was the more surprising,
therefore, to hear that she was not only a rich
woman, but also that she was to be the
temporary mistress of one of the most beauti-
ful and expensive dwellings in the Metropolis.
Needless to say, I did not let her become
aware of the surprise she had given me, but
contented myself with thanking her and ex-
pressing the hope that shortly I should be able
to do myself the honour of calling upon her.

"You won't allow your public duties to
make you forget your promise to come and
see me, I hope," said the Countess, as we
shook hands.

" You may be quite sure that I shall not,"
I replied.

" Then, au revoir, and many thanks for the
kindness you have shown us."

" It has given me the greatest possible
E

66 A Cabinet Secret

pleasure," I answered, and, as I said it, I had
a guilty remembrance of my uncharitable
feelings that morning, when I had discovered
that my privacy was destined to be disturbed.
Yet so pleasantly had the time passed, that
I felt as if I had known the Countess for
years instead of hours.

When I reached my house it was to find
everything just as I had left it. A cheerful
fire blazed in my study, the latest evening
papers lay, cut and folded, upon a table beside
my favourite chair ; a subdued light shone
above the table in the dining-room adjoining,
and everything denoted the care and comfort
which a master possessing good servants has
a right to expect. Having removed the stains
of travel, and changed my attire, I sat down
to dinner, afterwards spent an hour skimming
my correspondence, then, to fill up the time, I
ordered a cab and drove to my favourite Club.

Though I had only been absent from England
a short time, and had not been further than
Paris, I discovered that I had a vast amount
of news to hear. Men imparted their informa-
tion to me as if I had that day returned from
Central Africa or the Australian Bush. Young
Paunceford, the member for Banford, for
which place his father had sat before him,

A Cabinet Secret 67

was good enough to give me his views on
the Crisis. His complaint was that no one
would listen to him, and, in consequence, he
was only too glad to find some one who
required bringing up to date. That I
happened to be a Cabinet Minister as well
as an old friend made no sort of difference.

" By Jove, I envy you," he said, as he lit a
fresh cigar. " I can tell you, if you play your
cards carefully, you'll be no end of a swell
over this business. Why on earth couldn't
I have had such an opportunity ? "

" For the simple reason that you know too
much, my boy," said a man in the Guards,
who happened to be sitting near. " Haven't
you heard that a little knowledge is a
dangerous thing? They know Manderville's
safe on a secret, so they gave him the job.
What's the use of a secret unless there's some
mystery about it. By the way, talking of
mysteries, what's this about Wiltshire House ?
Somebody tells me that it has been let to the
prettiest woman in Europe. Do any of you
know anything about her ? "

Paunceford was as well informed upon this
as upon all other subjects.

" Of course," he replied ; " the news is as old
as the hills. I heard it from Bill Kingsbury,

68 A Cabinet Secret

who was in the agent's shop, or office —
whatever they call it — when the business was
being arranged. But it's all nonsense about
her being the prettiest woman in Europe.
Hailed from Jamaica, I believe ; has to own
to curly hair and to just one touch of the
tar-brush."

" Paunceford seems to know all about her,"
said another man. "He always is well informed,
however, upon any matter, whatever it may be.
If there's going to be a war the House ought
to vote a sum sufficient to send him out, in
order that he may keep the Authorities
posted on the progress of affairs. You've
missed your vocation, Paunceford ; you'd make
an ideal War Correspondent."

" Too much imagination," said the man in
the Guards ; "military matters must be taken
seriously. But nobody has answered my
question yet. Who is this lady who has
taken Wiltshire House ? "

" I have already told you," said Paunceford
sulkily. " I never came across such a set of
unbelievers."

"Elderly, coloured, and of West Indian
origin ? " said the Guardsman. "It doesn't
sound well."

I could stand it no longer.

A Cabinet Secret 69

"For goodness sake," I put in, "don't go
about the town spreading that report. I assure
you Paunceford is, as usual, altogether out of
it."

"How do you know that?" asked Paunce-
ford suspiciously.

" Because I happen to have had the good-
fortune to travel with the lady from Paris
to-day," I replied, with just that little touch
of satisfaction the position warranted.

" And yet you kept quiet about it," said
another man. "Well, you are a reticent
beggar, I must say. Don't you know this has
been one of the mysteries of the town. My
goodness, man, you shan't escape from this
room until you have told us all about her !
Who is she ? What is she ? What is her
name? How much money has she? Above
all, is she pretty ? "

" She is the Countess de Venetza," I replied.
" Italian, I should say ; rich — since she has
taken Wiltshire House ; and as for her personal
appearance — well, when you see her, you will
be able to judge of that for yourselves."

" Excellent ! " said the Guardsman. " I prefer
Manderville's report to yours, Paunceford. Is
she married ? "

" A widow, I fancy," I replied.

70 A Cabinet Secret

"Still better! If she is kind to me I will
make her reputation, and Wiltshire House
shall be the smartest caravanserai in London.
Not shooting in your wood, Manderville, I
hope ? "

" I wish to goodness you men wouldn't spend
your time so much in inventing new slang,"
I answered. " But some of you seem to have
nothing else to do. Now that I have satisfied
your curiosity, I shall go home to bed. The
early bird catches the early news. In these
days one lives for the morning papers."

Paunceford saw another opportunity.

" Talking of morning papers " he began,

but before he had finished the sentence I had
left the room.

Being tired when I reached home I went
straight to bed. Remembering my experi-
ence of the previous night, I was determined
that this one should make up for it. To
my disappointment, however, I discovered
that, tired though I was, sleep would not
visit my eyelids. I was as wide awake when
I had been two hours in bed as I was when
I entered my room. Once more, as on the
previous night, I was haunted with the re-
membrance of the Countess's eyes ; do what I
would, I could not get them out of my mind.

A Cabinet Secret 71

Tired at last of tumbling and tossing, and
thoroughly angry with myself, and the world
in general, I rose, donned a dressing-gown,
and went into the small study that adjoins
my bedroom. The fire was not quite ex-
tinguished, and with some little coaxing I
was able to induce it to burn again. Taking
a book I drew up my chair, seated myself in
it, and tried to read. I must have done so
to some purpose, for after a time I fell asleep.
Possibly it may have been due to the fact
that I had had no rest on the previous
night, and that my mind was naturally much
occupied with the gravity of England's
situation, and the part I had to play in
the coming strife ; at any rate, my dreams
were not only vivid but decidedly alarming.
I dreamt that I was in a transport en route
to the Cape, and that the vessel struck a rock,
and sank with all the troops on board. There
was no time to get out the boats, and, in
company with some hundreds of others, I was
precipitated into the water. While we were
still struggling with the waves, a life-boat made
her appearance, and, to my intense astonish-
ment, standing in the bows was no less a
person than the Countess De Venetza. What
was stranger still, she carried in her hand a

72 A Cabinet Secret

heavy spear, or harpoon, with which, whenever
a drowning man approached the boat, she
stabbed him in the back, laughing as she did so.
Then, by means of that wonderful mechanical
ingenuity with which the theatres of the land
of dreams are furnished, the scene changed
to a lonely plain at the foot of a rugged
mountain-range. A battle had been fought
upon it, and the dead and wounded still
lay where they had fallen. So real did
it appear to me, that when I recognised
here and there the faces of friends, I found
myself wondering what I should say to their
loved ones when I returned to England.
Suddenly, in the weird light, for the moon was
shining above the mountain-peaks, there appeared
from among the rocks on the further side of the
plain a woman, whose face I instantly recognised.
With stealthy steps she left her hiding-place and
descended to where the wounded lay thickest.
In her hand she carried the same spear that
I remembered in my previous dream, and
with it she stabbed every man who remained
alive. So terrible was the expression upon
her face as she did so, that I turned away
from her in loathing and disgust. When I
looked again she was bending over the body
of a man who still lived, but who was bleeding

A Cabinet Secret 73

from a deep wound in his side. Picture my
consternation when I discovered that he was
none other than the Guardsman who had been
so persistent in his inquiries that night concern-
ing her. As I watched, for I was unable to
move hand or foot to save him, a low moan
escaped his lips, followed by an appeal for
water. With the same expression of fiendish
rage upon her face that I had noticed before,
she raised the spear, and was about to plunge
it into his breast, when with a cry I awoke, to
find the sun streaming into the room, and my
respectable Williams standing before me.

" Good gracious, Williams, how you startled
me ! " I said. " What on earth am I doing
here ? Ah, I remember ! I could not sleep,
so I came in to get a book. I suppose I must
have fallen asleep over it. What news is there
this morning ? "

There was an air of mystery about Williams
that I knew heralded the announcement of
some extraordinary information.

"Yes, sir," he said, "there is some important
news. The papers do say that ' War is de-
clared.'"

CHAPTER III

TOURING the week which followed my
**** return to London, events followed thick
and fast upon each other. The now famous
Ultimatum issued by the enemy, though sur-
prising enough at the time, was not altogether
unexpected. Its presumptuous tone, however,
was the cause of general comment. As a
matter of fact, it was not until it became known
that the enemy, instead of waiting to be at-
tacked in their own territory, had invaded that
of Her Majesty the Queen, that the first feel-
ing of amazement changed to one of anger,
and, if the truth must be told, to one of no
little anxiety. Our Force at the front was well
known to be inadequate, and, as we had the
best of reasons for being aware, a considerable
time would have to elapse before it would be
possible for it to be supplemented.

In my new capacity as a member of the
Cabinet, my knowledge of the country in which

74

A Cabinet Secret 75

we were about to fight stood me in good stead ;
consequently, I was kept busily employed after
my return to England. The situation, as I
have already said, was one of considerable
anxiety, but as soon as it was announced that
that popular soldier, Sir William Woller, had
been selected to proceed to the South, in order
to take up the Chief Command, the public fears
were in a great measure allayed. With perhaps
but three exceptions, no more popular choice
could have been made, and I do not think I
am breaking faith with my colleagues when I
say that we were all agreed upon this point.
The decision was arrived at on Wednesday
afternoon, and orders were issued that the
General in question should sail from South-
ampton on the following Saturday. On the
Friday morning he was to be present at an
important Council at the War Office ; in the
afternoon he was to be received in Audience at
Windsor, and at eleven o'clock on Saturday
morning he was due to leave Waterloo for
Southampton Docks.

Now, Woller and I had been friends for
many years, and immediately his appointment
was made known, I hastened to write him a
letter of congratulation. In it I said that if he
should have sufficient time at his disposal to

76 . A Cabinet Secret

allow me a chance of seeing him, before he left
London, I should like to shake him by the
hand and wish him God-speed. He replied to
the effect that he would be dining with the
Commander-in-Chief on Friday evening, and
informed me that I was to be one of the party.
In confirmation of this the next post brought
me an invitation which I hastened to accept.

In due course Friday evening arrived, and
the appointed hour found me at the Com-
mander-in-Chief's residence in Bruton Street.
I had already been informed that it was to be
quite a small and friendly affair — as a matter of
fact, the guest of the evening, myself, and two
other friends, constituted the party. I was the
first to arrive, Sir George Brandon followed
me, Berkeley Burroughes came next, and as
soon as he had put in an appearance, we only
required Woller to make the number complete.
He was late, however. Eight o'clock struck,
and still there was no sign of him. Our host,
in apologising for the delay, reminded us that,
owing to the multitudinous claims upon Sir
William's time, it might be impossible for him
to avoid being just a little late. When, how-
ever, the clock upon the mantel-piece stood at
half-past eight, we began to look at each other
and to wonder what could have become of him.

A Cabinet Secret 77

At last the Commander-in-Chief was unable
to bear the suspense any longer.

" If you will excuse me," he said, " I will tele-
phone to his house, and find out at what time he
left there. Woller is such a punctual man that
this delay is, to say the least of it, extraordinary."

He left the room, and during his absence
we kept up that desultory kind of conversa-
tion with which one endeavours to cover the
uneasiness caused by the non-arrival of an
anticipated guest. A few moments later the
Commander-in-Chief returned with a puzzled
expression upon his face.

"It becomes more inexplicable every
minute," said he. " From what I can gather
Woller has not been seen at his house since
he left it for Windsor. It is really most
singular, and I am at a loss to know what
construction to put upon it. However, if
you have no objection, we will give him
another quarter of an hour's grace, and if he
is not here then, go into dinner."

We waited the allotted time with what
patience we could command, and when it had
expired, left the drawing-room and proceeded
to the dining-room, where we sat down to
the long-delayed meal.

I cannot pretend for a moment that the

78 A Cabinet Secret

meal was a success. The non-appearance
of our old friend, the man who on the morrow
was to leave England on one of the most
important errands she has ever intrusted to
a son, sat like a wet blanket upon us. If
at the last moment he had been prevented
from coming, how was it that he had not
sent a note of apology and explanation to
his host? Had he met with an accident,
or been taken suddenly ill, he would at least
have given instructions that a telegram should
be sent. Woller, as we were well aware,
was the pink of politeness ; he was also a
strict disciplinarian, not only of others, but
also of himself. That he would, therefore,
have treated with discourtesy a man who
besides being his senior officer was also his
old friend, was the most unlikely thing in
the world. There were special reasons that
prevented us discussing the matter in all its
bearings just then, but that we were all equally
disquieted by his absence was quite certain.
I was the first to leave the house, and I can
remember that it was exactly a quarter past
eleven when the front door closed behind me.
Up to that moment no word of apology,
excuse, or explanation had been received from
the missing man.

A Cabinet Secret 79

"It's just possible that I may find a
message from him awaiting me when I reach
home," I said to myself as I took my place
in my brougham.

I was destined to be disappointed, however.

There were several letters and two telegrams
lying upon my table, but not one of any sort
from Woller.

" Are you quite sure that no messenger has
called from Sir William Woller?" I asked
Williams, when he came to my dressing-
room, a quarter of an hour later.

" No, sir, I am quite sure of that," he
replied ; " had any one called I should have
been informed of it."

With that assurance I was perforce com-
pelled to be content. I can give you my
word, however, that I was by no means easy
in my mind concerning Sir William's silence.

Next morning, when I was in the middle
of my breakfast, a note was handed me
from the Commander-in-Chief. It ran as
follows : —

" DEAR MANDERVILLE, — Could you spare me ten
minutes as soon as possible after your receipt of this ?
I would call upon you myself, but for various reasons,
which I will explain to you when I see you, I am
unable to leave the house until I go down to Pall
Mall."

8o A Cabinet Secret

Here followed an assurance that the writer
was very truly mine, his signature, and a post-
script to the effect that the bearer would wait
for an answer. I scribbled a hasty reply,
saying that I would come round to Bruton
Street at once, and as soon as I had made
my toilet, called a cab and set off. On my
arrival there I was shown direct to the
Commander-in-Chiefs study, where I found
him awaiting my coming with considerable
impatience.

"It is very good of you to come so
promptly," he said. "To tell you the truth,
I am very uneasy, and as we are both old
friends of the man, I thought I would
consult you in an ex-officio capacity, before
going to the Secretary of State for War."

" I am to gather from this, I suppose, that
up to the present, you have not heard any-
thing of Woller," I answered, with a little
sinking of the heart, for I made sure that
morning would dispel the mystery that en-
veloped his behaviour.

" You have guessed correctly," he said.
" 1 have caused the most careful enquiries
to be made, and have learnt that he left
Windsor by the 3.25 train, reached Pad-
dington at 4.2, entered a cab there, and has

A Cabinet Secret 81

not since been heard of. Unfortunately, as
nobody seems to have been aware of his
identity, the number of the cab was not
taken, and, so far as we are able to ascer-
tain, none of the drivers in the station-yard
at the time appear to be able to recollect
whose vehicle it was that he employed. If
you reflect that it has been arranged that
he shall leave London for Southampton at
eleven o'clock this morning, and that an
enormous crowd will be at the station to
see him off, it will at once become evident
to you that his non-appearance will be far
from making a good impression upon the public
mind."

" But what has become of him ? He
can't have vanished into space."

"There are many other ways in which he
might disappear," said my companion gloomily.

" Surely you don't suppose he has been
the victim of foul play ? "

I put the question hesitatingly, for I knew
the thoughts that were in my own mind.

" I scarcely know what to think," the other
replied. " I can only confess that I am
alarmed, seriously alarmed, by his prolonged
absence. Woller, as you know, is a man who
realises to the full the responsibilities entailed

F

82 A Cabinet Secret

by his present position. Duty with him is
more than duty, it is a matter of life and
death ; he knows that the eyes of England, of
Europe, and I might even say of the whole
world, are upon him, and for that reason
alone I feel sure he would not cause us so
much anxiety of his own free will."

" In that case, what do you intend doing?"
I enquired, for I could well foresee the terrible
trouble to which the situation would give
rise. "It is now a quarter to ten, and in
little more than an hour he will be expected
at Waterloo. If the crowd don't see him
they will begin to wonder, the man in the
street will begin to talk, the newspapers will
take up the tale, and in a few hours we shall
have entered on a new phase of the situation."

The Commander-in-Chief rose and began
to pace the room.

" I have already sent a special messenger
with a letter to the Secretary of State," he
replied. "In it I have told him what I fear
and also what I have done. I shall consult
the various heads of Departments as soon
as I reach Pall Mall, on the bare chance that
one of them may be able to elucidate the
mystery.

" At the same time I should communicate

A Cabinet Secret 83

with the railway authorities, if I were you," I
continued. " I should inform them that, owing
to the fact of his being detained by matters of
the greatest importance, it is possible that
Woller may not be able to travel by that
particular train."

"That is a good idea," the Commander-in-
Chief replied ; " I will act upon it at once. In
the event of our receiving no news, that should
be sufficient to give us time to arrange some
other plan. It will mean delaying the vessel
at Southampton, however, and — good gracious
me ! — what a pile of difficulties it will land us in !
The Colonial Secretary must be informed, and
the matter must come before the Cabinet. As
you said just now, if by any chance it should
leak out and the Press get hold of it, there is
no telling where it will end."

"You have communicated with Scotland
Yard, of course ? "

" I sent a messenger to them shortly after
midnight, that is to say, as soon as I had found
out that Woller had left Windsor, and that he
had not been to his Club, or to his own house.
Their best men are at work upon it, but so far
without any satisfactory result."

" And can his own servants throw any light
upon the matter?"

84 A Cabinet Secret

" None whatever ! " the Commander- in Chief
replied. " When he left for Windsor he in-
formed them he should be back early, in order
to dress for my dinner in the evening. They
say he appeared to be in the best of health and
spirits, and seemed greatly pleased with the
arrangements made for his journey to-day.
Lord Laverstock accompanied him from the
Castle, and was the last to speak to him at
Windsor Station. From the conversation I
have had with him by telephone, I gathered
that Woller was looking forward to his dinner
with us last night. The guard of the train
corroborates the fact that he travelled to
Paddington. For the reason that the Railway
Authorities expected him by the next train,
there was no crowd upon the platform to
witness his arrival. On alighting he simply
called a cab and drove away. After that he
vanishes completely."

"There is no way, I suppose, in which we
can make further enquiries concerning him ? "

" There is nothing so far as I can see. We
are doing all that is possible, but our position
in the meantime is a most anxious and un-
pleasant one. Now I shall hasten along to
see the Secretary of State for War, and hear
what he thinks of the situation. He will

A Cabinet Secret 85

doubtless consider it necessary to call an
immediate meeting of the Council, when the
situation can be discussed in all its bearings."

" Let us hope that he may be heard of
before very long," I replied.

So saying I left him and drove home again,
feeling sadly upset by the untoward turn events
had taken. What could have become of poor
Woller ? Had he been decoyed into some
slum and murdered ? A hundred fears for his
safety assailed me, each one equally probable
and equally cruel.

When I reached my house I found that the
letters had arrived, and were spread out upon
my study table. Still thinking of Woller, I
opened the envelopes and scanned their
contents. One was larger than the others,
and on opening it I found that it contained
a card, upon which the following words were
printed : —

" The Countess de Venetza at Home on Wednes-
day, November the 2ist, from nine until eleven
o'clock."

In the bottom left-hand corner was the address,
"Wiltshire House."

As I stood with the card in my hand, the
memory of my first meeting with the Countess
came back to me. So rapidly had events

86 A Cabinet Secret

moved of late, that it seemed as if a year had
elapsed since I had last seen her. I recalled the
impression her dark haunting eyes had made
upon me, and, discourteous though it may be
to say so, I must confess that a shudder passed
over me at the recollection. I placed the card
upon my mantel-piece, and, for the time being,
thought no more about it. There were other
and more weighty matters than an invitation
from a pretty woman to be considered that
day.

Every one who has followed the progress
of the war — and there are few who have
not — will recall the wave of consternation
and dismay that swept over England when
the news became known that Sir William
Woller, the newly-appointed Commander-in-
Chief for South Africa, had disappeared, and
could not be found. A thousand rumours, all
of them equally sensational, and all equally
wide of the mark, flew about the country ; but
despite the efforts of the police, the jibes of
the Press, the scarcely veiled sneers of Little
Englanders and the openly-expressed contempt
of our Continental neighbours, not a trace of
the missing man could be discovered. A meet-
ing of the Cabinet was immediately summoned,
with the result that General Grey- Mortimer, a

A Cabinet Secret 87

gallant gentleman and an experienced soldier,
was at once despatched to the front, in tem-
porary command. In the meantime, the wildest
excitement prevailed in England. Transports
were leaving the various ports every day, the
Reservists were called up, the Militia and
Volunteers were being equipped and drilled,
if necessary, for active service. Plainly the
heart of the country was stirred to the very
centre of its being.

Such was the Public Temper at the time
that few entertainments were given by Society.
Such as there were, and to which I was in-
vited, I, for the most part, declined. An
exception was made, however, where the
Countess de Venetza was concerned. The
temptation to see her play the part of a
hostess was more than I could resist, and
for this reason, ten o'clock on the night set
forth upon her card found me mounting
the magnificent staircase of Wiltshire House.
From the number of arrivals and the crowd-
ing of the stairs, it was plain, despite the
excitement of that period, that her " At
Home " was likely to be a crowded one.
Her beauty, her wealth, the fact that she
was for the time being the possessor of
Wiltshire House, her famous team ^of black

88 A Cabinet Secret

Orloffs, behind which she drove in the Park,
had combined to make her one of the year's
sensations. The grandeur of her entertain-
ments had quickly become proverbial, and in
consequence, to admit that one had not the
entree to Wiltshire House, was to argue
oneself unknown. Ascending the staircase
by my side, cool, calm and collected, as if
the enormous weight of responsibility he was
then carrying were of no account, was no
less a person than the Colonial Secretary.
When the history of the century, and of this
war in particular, shall come to be written,
the character of the Honourable Benjamin
Castellan will shine prominently out. The
possessor of a serene imperturbability that
nothing could disturb, a keen observer, a born
leader of men, and boasting that most necessary
of all qualifications, a firm belief in himself, a
better man for the arduous post he occupied
could not have been discovered.

" I was not aware that you knew the
Countess," I said, as we climbed the stairs
together.

"Nor did I that until a few days ago,"
he answered. " May I ask where you made
her acquaintance?"

"In Paris," I replied. "We stayed at the

WE WERE RECEIVED BY THE COUNTESS.

To face frige Sy.

A Cabinet Secret 89

same hotel. She and her father had just
returned from a yachting trip in the Mediter-
ranean with the Duke of Rotherhithe."

Now, I am sorry to have to confess it, but that
little speech of mine was destined to work an
incalculable amount of harm. Castellan has
confessed to me since that he was at first
inclined to be somewhat distrustful of the
Countess. When I informed him, however,
that our hostess had been the guest of such
a well-known personage as the Duke of
Rotherhithe she figured in his eyes in a
different light, with what result you shall
presently hear.

On the broad landing at the head of the
staircase we were received by the Countess.
A more beautiful figure than she presented at
that moment it would have been difficult to
find. Perfectly dressed, carrying herself with a
graceful assurance as to the manner born, she
made an ideal hostess. If further evidence
of her wealth were wanting, it might have
been found in the magnificent diamond tiara
she wore upon her head, in the broad collet
of the same precious stones about her neck,
and in the beautiful bracelets that encircled
her wrists. Only once before could I recall
such a display, and then the wearer was an

90 A Cabinet Secret

Emperor's escort As you may remember,
when I first saw her in Paris, it had struck
me that her attire was just one little point
behind the "prevailing mode." Now, however,
it was as near perfection as it was possible
for human hands to make it. She greeted
Castellan first

" It is indeed kind of you, Mr Castellan, to
come to me when every moment of your time
is of such value," she said, as she shook hands
with him. " I follow your doings with the
greatest eagerness, and marvel that you should
have the strength to accomplish so much."

" Have you ever discovered that stress of
work promotes growth of power," said the
Colonial Secretary. Then, with one of his
inscrutable smiles, he added : " Pardon me,
Countess, I had forgotten for the moment
that your power does not depend upon your
work ! "

"Ah! I fear you intend a compliment,"
returned the lady with a smile. " Must it
remain for a foreigner to remind you of your
own Milton ?

' What is strength without a double share
Of wisdom? vast, unwieldly, burdensome,
Proudly secure, yet liable to fall
By weakest subtilities; not made to rule,
But to subserve where wisdom bears command.'"

A Cabinet Secret 91

It was not difficult to see that the aptness
of the quotation astonished the Colonial
Secretary. The purity of the Countess's
English was also a surprise to me ; but for
certain unmistakable indications it would not
have been thought that she was a foreigner.
When Castellan had passed on his way, she
turned to me with a little gesture, as if she
were pleased to welcome an old friend.

" Ah ! Sir George," she said, " I am so
pleased to see you. But I think I should
give you a scolding for not having been
before."

I hastened to excuse myself on the plea of
over-work, and, having obtained forgiveness
and promised to amend my conduct in the
future, I passed on to shake hands with her
father. When I had been again thanked for
my kindness in the matter of the French
train, I followed the Colonial Secretary into
the ball-room. I had not been there many
minutes before I was greeted by a voice,
which I instantly recognised, saying : " How
do you do, Sir George," and turning, I found
myself face to face with the handsome young
Count Reiffenburg, Madame's cousin.

"And how do you like London?" I
enquired, after the usual polite salutations had

92 A Cabinet Secret

passed between us. "I think I understood
you to say, on the occasion of our crossing
from Paris, that this was your first visit?"

" I like it very much," he replied, " but, to
be candid, not so much as Paris. I trust that
is not a rude thing to say in London ? "

" Every one is entitled to express his own
opinion," I answered, somewhat coldly, for I
had taken an instinctive dislike to this young
fellow. " You must remember that you are
seeing England at her worst just now. The
times are too anxious for us to be very

gay."

" You refer to the war, I suppose ? " he
answered. Then he added with what I could
not help thinking was intended for a sneer :
" The war is the sensation of the moment."

"It naturally would be," I replied. " Though
proverbially phlegmatic, we still have sufficient
feeling left to be patriotic ; but perhaps your
sympathies are with the other side ? "

"One can scarcely help feeling some sym-
pathy "

" My dear Conrad," said the Countess, who
had come upon us unperceived, " I really can-
not let you talk politics in my ball-room. Go
away and find your partner at once. Prove to
her that you have learned to valse in Vienna."

A Cabinet Secret 93

She tapped him playfully on the arm with
her fan, but for my own part I could not help
thinking that her words were not meant to be
taken as lightly as she had spoken them. At
any rate, the young man muttered something
under his breath and left us."

"Conrad is a foolish but a warm-hearted
boy," said the Countess, looking after him.
" Because Messieurs les Boers don't wear
uniforms, and are not nice to look at, he calls
them patriots fighting for their country, and
honours them as such."

" I fear there are many like him," I replied.
" I trust, however, Countess, that we have the
good fortune to possess your sympathy ? "

" Could any one help sympathising with the
handsome British officers ? " she answered.
" I have no doubt "

At that moment a sudden buzz of excite-
ment ran through the room, and she stopped
without completing her sentence. It began
near the door, and quickly spread from group
to group. Whatever the news was, it caused
a look of consternation to appear on every
face.

" What can be the matter ? " asked the
Countess. " I wonder what they are all
talking about ? "

94 ^4 Cabinet Secret

As she finished speaking the Colonial
Secretary came up to us.

" I hope that you are not the bearer of evil
tidings," said my companion to him. At the
same moment I noticed that her face was very
white, and that there was a frightened look in
her eyes.

" We have just received terrible intelligence,"
he replied. " The steamer, Sultan of Sedawg,
with Sir Grey-Mortimer, his staff, and the first
Midlandshire Regiment on board, has been
blown up at Madeira, and only three men
saved."

The shock was so terrible, that for a moment
I stood as if tongue-tied.

"And Grey-Mortimer?" I asked, when I
could speak.

" Killed," was the reply.

" Good Heavens ! how terrible ! " I said.
" Are you quite sure it is true ? How did you
hear the news ? "

" A message has just reached me from the
Office," he replied. " There can be no doubt
about it ! "

" Woller first, now Grey- Mortimer," I said
to myself. "What can it mean? I shall go
to the Admiralty and obtain full particulars."

" I will accompany you," said the Colonial

A Cabinet Secret 95

Secretary. " Good-night, Countess, and many
thanks for your hospitality. I am sorry indeed
that this news should have reached us at such
a time."

"And I too," she answered. Then, turning
to me, she continued : "I hope you will come
and see me again, Sir George ? "

As she said it, she looked into my face
with a glance that would have set many
hearts, less susceptible than mine, beating
with unusual vigour. The memory of that
look accompanied me down the stairs and
remained with me for some time after I was
seated in the Colonial Secretary's brougham.
Then we set off to the Admiralty to learn
the details of the disaster. Alas ! as Castellan
had said, it proved only too true. The steam-
ship Sultan of Sedang had reached Madeira
safely, and had anchored in the Bay.
Nothing of a suspicious nature occurred,
nor was any boat seen near the ship after
dark. Suddenly a terrific explosion was heard,
and the great vessel was blown to pieces, the
only men who escaped with their lives being
a stoker, a sergeant in the Midlandshire
regiment, and an officer's servant. At the
time of telegraphing, boats were out searching
the Bay, while the most careful investigation

96 A Cabinet Secret

as to the cause of the disaster was proceeding
on shore. The Colonial Secretary and I
left the Admiralty when we had heard all
there was to be told, and proceeded into the
street once more. The coachman had been
ordered not to wait, as we had decided to
walk on home.

Late as . the hour was the alarming intelli-
gence had spread like wildfire through London,
and already a considerable crowd had collected
in Whitehall. Fortunately, Castellan and I were
able to slip out unrecognised, and then we
set off in the direction of Trafalgar Square.
The Colonial Secretary's residence, as all the
world is aware, is in Carlton House Terrace.
At the corner of the small thoroughfare that
winds its way from Cockspur Street into
Carlton House Terrace, we stopped, and
stood for some moments conversing there
together. Then we wished each other good-
night, Castellan going down the narrow street
of which I have spoken, while I proceeded
along Pall Mall and Piccadilly in the direction
of my own abode. My thoughts were the
reverse of pleasant as I strode along. A
Cabinet Council had been summoned for the
following morning, and, with this sad intelli-
gence to be brought before it, there could be

A Cabinet Secret 97

no doubt that it was likely to be a gloomy
one.

Next morning I rose early. I had a large
amount of work to get through before the
meeting, which was to take place at eleven
o'clock. At a quarter to that hour I drove
down to Whitehall, and made my way to the
Foreign Office.

"This is terrible news indeed, Manderville,"
said the Prime Minister, as we shook hands.
" Poor Grey- Mortimer and all those gallant
men ! I scarcely like to think of the effect it
will produce upon the country. First, that
succession of disastrous defeats, then Woller's
extraordinary disappearance, and now this
new catastrophe. However, as we shall have
to discuss that directly, I will say no more at
present. Are we all here ? "

There was only one person who had not
arrived, the Colonial Secretary.

" It's not like Castellan to be unpunctual,"
said the Prime Minister. " Doubtless, how-
ever, it won't be long before he puts in an
appearance."

When ten minutes had elapsed and still
he did not come, a messenger was despatched
to the Colonial Office in search of him. It was
not long before he returned with the informa-

G

98 A Cabinet Secret

tion that Castellan had not yet arrived at
his office. Close upon the heels of this
message came another from Mrs Castellan
anxiously inquiring for her husband, who, it
appeared, had not come home on the previous
night, nor had any communication been re-
ceived from him. As I heard this a great
fear took possession of me. I had said good-
night to him in Cockspur Street, only a few
paces from his own front door, and had seen
him walk in that direction. How was it~ then,
that he had not reached it ? Was he the
victim of a plot ? Had he disappeared like
Woller, never to be heard of again ?

CHAPTER IV

COME idea of the wave of consternation
which swept over England, when it be-
came known that the Right Honourable
Benjamin Castellan, Secretary of State for
the Colonies had disappeared as mysteriously as
Sir William Woller had done before him, will
be derived when I say that edition after edition
of the evening papers had been sold by three
o'clock in the afternoon. It was in every
sense a grave national calamity, for, as we
all know, at this particular juncture in the
country's history, Benjamin Castellan, of all
others, was the man who could least be
spared.

"You are sure, I suppose, Sir George,
that Castellan intended going home after
you parted in Cockspur Street," the Prime
Minister enquired, looking at me along the
table.

" As certain as I am of anything," I replied.
" He complained of feeling tired, and laugh-

99

ioo A Cabinet Secret

ingly declared his intention of going to bed
early, in order that he might be fresh for
our meeting this morning."

"He did not seem depressed in any way,
I suppose ? " put in the First Lord of the
Admiralty.

"He was naturally extremely downcast by
the news we had received concerning the
Sultan of Sedang, but in no other sense,"
I answered. " I am sorry now that I did
not walk with him to his door as I originally
intended doing."

"It is, perhaps, as well that you did not,"
asserted one of the others, "for in that case
we might have lost you too. Surely my
Lord," he continued, addressing the Prime
Minister, " the Police Authorities should be
able to obtain some clue respecting his dis-
appearance ? Deserted as the passage usually
is at that hour of the night, for I have
passed through it myself, there must have
been some one in the main thoroughfares at
either end who would have given the alarm
had they noticed anything out of the common."

" It is not altogether certain that tfte crime,
if crime it is — and of that we have as yet no
evidence — was perpetrated in the passage of
which you speak," said the Prime Minister ;

A Cabinet Secret 101

"but wherever, or however, the deed was
committed, the Police I am sure will do their
utmost to unravel the mystery. The mere fact
that General Woller's disappearance has not
yet been accounted for is giving rise to a vast
amount of uneasiness. That the same fate
should have befallen Mr Castellan will not
be likely to add to the public peace of mind.
I am sure the Secretary of State for the Home
Department will do all that lies in his power
to see that no time is lost in bringing the
offenders to justice."

When the meeting broke up I made my
way with all haste to Carl ton House Terrace,
in order to assure my friend's wife of my
sympathy, and to help her in any way that
lay in my power. Prostrated with grief
though she was, she consented to see me,
and I was accordingly admitted to her
presence.

" Oh, Sir George ! " she cried, hastening
forward to greet me, "is it possible that you
bring news of him ? Ah ! I can see you do
not."

She threw herself into a chair with a little
cry of despair, and for a moment I scarcely
knew what to say to comfort her.

" We must hope for the best, Mrs Castellan,"

IO2 A Cabinet Secret

I said at last, and then added with an assur-
ance that my heart was far from sharing —
"no one knows what the next few hours may
bring forth."

"But where can he be?" she cried — "and
who can have been base enough to harm him ?
I know that he has enemies, as every man
who has made a great name for himself must
have, but I cannot think of one who would go
so far as to rob me of him. Oh ! it is too
cruel ! too cruel !"

We were still talking when news reached us
that two members of the Police Department
had arrived, and were anxious for an inter-
view.

" I cannot see them," the poor lady declared.
" I can tell them nothing that they do not
know ! "

"Then let me see them for you," I said.
" I think I can answer any questions they
may ask, and at the same time it will spare
you the pain such an interview would entail."

" God bless you for your kindness ! You
are a true friend."

I thereupon left her, and followed my col-
league's secretary along the hall in the direction
of the study.

" This is a sad affair indeed, Mr Gedge,"

A Cabinet Secret 103

I said, after we had left the morning-room.
" I presume you have never heard Mr Cas-
tellan say anything as to his being shadowed
by any one ? "

" Never," he replied ; " though I will
confess that I have suggested to him on
numerous occasions the advisability of having
a companion with him when he walked home
late at night from the House. That, you
remember, was a favourite habit of his. He
used to say that the fresh air revived him
after a long debate."

" And he was quite right," I replied. " Now
let us hear what the police have to say."

The two members of the Detective Force,
who had been detailed to take charge of the
case, rose as we entered the room. They
seemed somewhat surprised at seeing me, but
upon my informing them how I came to be
connected with the matter, willingly excused
Mrs Castellan from attendance.

" Do I understand you to say that you
were the last of his friends to see Mr Cas-
tellan before his disappearance ? " asked the
taller of the two men, who looked more like
a burly Yorkshire farmer than a member of
the Scotland Yard Detective Force.

"It would appear so," I replied. "We

io4 <d Cabinet Secret

left Wiltshire House on hearing the news of
the disaster to the Sultan of Sedang, drove
to the Admiralty to learn the latest particulars,
and then, having dismissed the carriage,
strolled as far as Cockspur Street in each
other's company."

"And you parted at the passage that leads
from Cockspur Street into Carlton House
Terrace, I believe ? " said the other man.
"You did not happen to notice whether any
person was following you, I suppose ? "

" I don't fancy either of us looked round
during the whole distance," I answered, with
an inward wish that I had been suspicious
enough to have taken that simple precaution.
" We had too much to occupy our thoughts
without observing the actions of other people."

"And how long did you remain on the
pavement? I should be obliged if you would
endeavour to be as accurate as possible, sir,
in your answer to this question."

I considered a moment before I replied.

" Between eight and ten minutes I should
say, certainly not more. I remember com-
paring my watch with a clock above the shop
window at the corner, and remarking as I
did so that I was nearly three minutes slow."

" In that case you should be able to fix

A Cabinet Secret 105

the time of his leaving you to within a
minute or two," said the elder of the two
men, taking a note-book and pencil from his
pocket as he spoke.

" I can do so exactly. It was five minutes
past twelve when we bade each other
good-night."

" Was any one near you on the pavement
while you were standing talking ? "

" No one, the street was almost deserted."

" I notice that you say almost deserted, sir.
Then there were other people in sight. Do
you happen to remember if any one was
standing near you — that is to say, within fifty
feet or so ? "

" I recollect that there was a policeman on
the opposite side of the road. , Two youths
in evening dress, both far from sober, passed
at the moment that we stopped. Stay, now I
come to think of it, there was an old woman
near us just before we said good - night to
each other, and, if my memory serves me,
she disappeared down the narrow passage.
It is strange that I should have forgotten
the circumstance."

" An old woman ? Can you give me a
rather more detailed description of her? Of
what class was she?"

io6 A Cabinet\Secret

" Of the very poorest, I should say, and
half witted. She was in rags, and was
muttering some gibberish to herself. I am
afraid I cannot tell you any more about her."

"That is rather a pity," said his companion.
" I should like to have a little conversation
with that good lady."

" You surely don't think she had anything
to do with the Colonial Secretary's disappear-
ance ? " I replied with some surprise. " Why,
she couldn't have had sufficient strength to
harm a child, much less a strong, active man
such as Mr Castellan was."

" Perhaps not, sir ; it's just possible, however,
that she may have had friends to do the work
for her. I don't say, of course, that she had
anything to do with it, but it is our duty to
look after every detail, and my experience has
taught me that the most unexpected places
often provide the most likely clues. Let us
suppose, for instance, that she was only the
decoy bird, and that the real perpetrators of
the crime were concealed in the passage. As
soon as she had discovered Mr Castellan, she
passed into the lane and bade her confeder-
ates be on the alert ; then, when he appeared,
they would be ready to effect his capture.
Doesn't that plot seem feasible enough, sir?"

A Cabinet Secret 107

" Very feasible," I felt compelled to admit ;
" but your case, like the proverbial figures, can
be made to prove anything. However, if you
think the old woman had anything to
do with it, what action do you propose to
take ? "

" I shall try the street first, and endeavour
to discover whether any one heard a scuffle or
cries for help last night. Then it's possible the
police on the beat may know something of the
old woman, and be able to give us an insight
into her character and identity. In the mean-
time, if Mrs Castellan will permit it, I will
interview the servants and endeavour to dis-
cover whether they noticed any suspicious
characters loitering about near the house."

" I am sure Mrs Castellan will be only too
pleased if you will do what you deem necessary,"
I replied.

The man thanked me, and the necessary
orders were given for the servants to be
ushered into the room. One by one they were
subjected to a rigorous cross-examination at
the hands of the two detectives. Neither the
butler nor any of the men-servants had noticed
anything suspicious in the front of the house,
nor had they seen any old woman, answer-
ing to my description, hanging about the

io8 A Cabinet Secret

premises. The housekeeper and cook were
equally positive in their assertions ; indeed,
the only person who had noticed anything
peculiar was a young housemaid, who declared
that she had seen two well-dressed men pass
the house on three different occasions during
the day. Each time they used the small
passage to which reference has been so often
made. When pressed to describe them more
accurately, she was unable to do so.

" They were just ordinary gentlemen," she
said, "dressed in frock coats and silk hats,
and they might have, or might not have,
carried umbrellas in their hands." Further
than this she declared she could not go, not
if her life depended upon it.

" What makes you so sure that they passed
three times ? " asked the smaller of the two
detectives.

" Because I saw them first after breakfast,
sir," the girl replied, "then in the middle
of the morning, and the last time just before
dinner."

This being all that could be extracted from
her, the girl was dismissed from the room,
and Mr Castellan's valet was recalled. From
him an exact description of the clothes the
missing man was wearing, and a record of the

A Cabinet Secret 109

jewellery he had about his person, was
obtained.

" This is no ordinary case of robbery," said
the elder detective, "but it is always as well
to know these things. One never knows how
useful they may prove later on."

After asking a few more questions, they
thanked me for the information I had given
them and prepared to leave the house.

"You will be sure to acquaint Mrs Castellan
with any discovery you may make ? " I said.
" I should like to be able to assure her of
that ? "

"You may, sir. She shall know directly
we hear of anything."

Then they bowed themselves out, and I was
at liberty to make my missing colleague's wife
acquainted with the result of our interview.
I found her still prostrated with grief and
anxiety, a prey to the most agonising thoughts.
I did what I could to comfort her, though I
felt that my ministrations could do her no
good. In my own heart I was quite certain
that Castellan had been spirited away by the
same mysterious agency that had deprived us
of Woller. What that agency was, however,
was more than I, or any one of us, could
determine. When I left Carlton House Terrace

no A Cabinet Secret

I drove to the Foreign Office, where I had a
consultation with the Prime Minister which
lasted upwards of an hour, after which I re-
turned to my residence.

I had intended going into the country that
afternoon, but, in the light of this new calamity,
I changed my mind and resolved to remain in
Town. Accordingly, after lunch I drove to
my office, and remained there until towards
evening. By three o'clock, as I have already
said, the terrible intelligence was known all
over the town. In all my experience I can-
not remember a scene of greater excitement.
Downing Street, in particular, was filled with
an enormous crowd, eager to learn the latest
news. In the public mind Castellan's dis-
appearance figured as the work of an enemy,
very probably by reason of the prominent part
he had played in the history and development
of the war. The wildest rumours were afloat
concerning the affair, and every edition of the
evening papers contained some new item con-
nected with it. At four o'clock I bade my
secretary telephone to Scotland Yard and
enquire whether they had any information to
impart. The reply was to the effect that
their labours had so far been entirely fruitless.
As in poor Woller's case, not a trace of the

A Cabinet Secret 1 1 1

missing man could be discovered. Castellan
could not have vanished more completely
had he been caught up to the sky at the
very moment that I had said " good-bye"
to him.

" It is really most uncomfortable for every
one concerned," my secretary remarked. " If
this sort of thing is to continue, one does not
know who the next victim may be."

He was quite right ; one certainly did not
know. This much, however, was quite certain :
whoever the persons might be who perpetrated
the crime, they were past masters of their art.
Their arrangements and the general conduct
of the affair was perfection itself, and against
such science it was almost impossible to guard.
For my own part — and I don't think my worst
enemies can accuse me of cowardice — I must
confess to a distinct feeling of uneasiness when
I reflected that this mysterious individual, or
band, might possibly try his, or their, hand
upon me. The suggestion emanating from
Scotland Yard to the effect that we should
avail ourselves of the offer of police protec-
tion, I politely, but firmly declined. The
idea of being shadowed night and day by
detectives was more than distasteful to
me,

112 A Cabinet Secret

" Yet we do not desire to lose you, Sir
George," said the Prime Minister later, and
in saying it he was kind enough to pay me
a compliment which my modesty will not
permit me to repeat here. I owe him an
apology in this matter, however, for I now
see that he was right. If I should have to
go through it all again, however, I feel that
I should act as I did then.

At half-past four o'clock I left the office
—by the back door this time, for I had no
desire to be recognised by the crowd — and
when I had crossed the Horse Guards Parade,
set off in the direction of Marlborough House.
As I walked along I thought of Castellan and
of our meeting on the previous night. How
little he had dreamt when he had carried on
his airy badinage with Madame de Venetza
that in less than three hours he would be
gone from the sight of men ! This naturally
led me to think of the Countess. I recalled
the expression upon her face, and the look in
her eyes, when she had invited me to visit
her again, and though, as I have said before,
I do not in any way consider myself a lady's
man, I am willing to confess that the recol-
lection of her condescension gave me con-
siderable satisfaction.

A Cabinet Secret 113

Not feeling in the humour for Piccadilly, and
the raucous voices of the newsboys shouting—

"DISAPPEARANCE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE

FOR THE COLONIES :
DISAPPEARANCE OF MR CASTELLAN!"

I continued my walk across the green Park
in the direction of Hyde Park Corner. It
was a beautiful evening, and in the twilight
the Park presented as peaceful a scene as the
soul of man could desire. Reaching the
exit opposite Hamilton Place, I stood for a
moment wondering whether I should cross
into Hyde Park or stroll leisurely home.
What it was I cannot say, but for some
reason or another I had a strange desire
for the companionship of my fellow men
or women. It may have been that the
sudden disappearance of Castellan had upset
me more than I supposed. At any rate, I
was far from being myself. As I stood there
an idea struck me, and I wondered why it
had not occurred to me before. What wa£
there to prevent my visiting the Countess
that evening ? She had declared that she
would be very glad to see me whenever I
might call.

H

ii4 si Cabinet Secret

My mind was no sooner made up than I
crossed the road and steered a course for
Wiltshire House. On the way many friends
would have stopped me had I permitted them
to do so, but I strode resolutely along, paying
no heed to them beyond returning their
salutations. At last I reached the Countess's
house and learnt that she was not only at home
but would receive visitors. I found her in her
boudoir seated before a bright fire, though the
day had been comparatively warm.

" It is kind indeed of you to take pity upon
my loneliness, Sir George," she said, as she
rose to receive me. " No one could be more
welcome. I have been feeling so very sad this
afternoon, and now your society will cheer me
up."

"You have heard of Mr Castellan's dis-
appearance, I suppose ? " I remarked, as I
seated myself in the chair she indicated. "It
has shocked you as it has done all of us ! "

" Have you any way of accounting for it ? "
she asked.

" None whatever," I replied. " The whole
affair is shrouded in mystery. The police
are unable to discover the faintest clue to
work upon."

"It will have a very serious effect upon the

A Cabinet Secret 115

country, will it not?" she enquired. "He has
played such a conspicuous part in politics of
late ! "

"He will be missed, I fear," I answered, and
stopped there, for I had no desire to discuss
current politics just then.

Putting the topics of the day on one side, we
at last came to the duration of her stay in
London.

" I scarely know how long we shall remain,"
she said. " I fancy my father is growing tired
of London already. The war is perhaps
accountable for it, but England is too sad just
now. I do not like sad places. I prefer the
sun, the warmth, the glitter, and to have
smiling faces about me. I am afraid I must be
peculiarly constituted, for the least thing is
sufficient to raise or depress me." Then
suddenly brightening up, she continued : " But
there ; what a foolish hostess I am to talk to
you in this fashion. I shall frighten you away,
and then you will not come and see me any
more. I have no desire to lose so good a
friend."

Man of the world though I was, the compli-
ment tickled my vanity, and I hastened to
reply in a suitable fashion. Then I con-
gratulated her upon the success which had

1 1 6 A Cabinet Secret

attended her " At Home " on the previous
evening.

" In the matter of an ' At Home ' it is not so
very difficult to be successful," she replied.
"One has only to give carte blanche to one's
cook and house-steward, dress oneself in one's
best, and stand at the head of the stairs to
receive one's guests with a conventional smile
upon one's face. A dinner is a somewhat
more difficult affair, and there, I think, without
vanity, I may justly pride myself upon my
ability. A cosy little dinner for, let us say,
not more than eight people, each to be most
carefully selected. Will you make one of
them ? "

" I shall be delighted," I replied. " But
may it not be a competition ? My man has
ambition. Why not let me try to equal your
effort, even if I cannot excel it ? "

" Try, by all means. And the prize ? "

" The knowledge of success ! What prize
could be more worth winning ? "

"It is settled then?" she returned. "We
are each to give a dinner and to endeavour to
outdo each other. I shall make my arrange-
ments accordingly."

After that we drifted into a discussion upon
books, pictures, and, by the natural transition

A Cabinet Secret 1 1 7

of things, came at last to music. On this
subject she was as well informed as upon every
other.

"It is my passion," she said in explanation.
" My piano is the greatest treasure I possess.
I could not live without it."

" I felt certain from the first that you were
a musician," I replied. " I wonder if I could
induce you to play to me ? "

" I will do so with pleasure if you wish it?"
she answered, and accordingly crossed the
room to the corner where the piano stood.
Prepared as I was to find her a good pianiste,
I did not dream for a moment that her talent
was so great. As it was, she fascinated me
from the moment that her fingers touched the
keys. In explanation I might here remark
that I am particularly susceptible to music,
and now, under her influence, I sat spell-bound.
The work was Saint Saen's " Danse Macabre,"
and in her hands the fierce madness of that
remarkable composition was brought out with
more than its usual diablerie.

In order to understand what is to follow,
it must be remembered that I was seated
near the fire-place, and that her piano was
at the further end of the room, so that, placed
as I was, I could not see my hostess.

ii8 A Cabinet Secret

Having once felt the divine afflatus, she
played on and on, without stopping to enquire
whether I was tired, wandering from master
to master as the fancy seized her. Such
was the effect of the music upon me, that
in a short time I became scarcely conscious
of mundane affairs. A delicious languor was
stealing over me, and little by little I felt my
eyes closing. The music appeared to be
growing gradually fainter, until it could
scarcely be heard. I tried to rouse myself,
but was unable to do so. At last, even
the inclination to battle with the feeling of
drowsiness left me, and I abandoned myself
to my fate.

Whether I fell asleep and dreamt what
I am about to describe, or whether the
Countess, in the exercise of a deadly power
which I feel convinced she possessed, had
hypnotized me, I cannot say. The fact re-
mains, that in my mind's eye, for my eyes
were closed, I saw her rise from the instrument
and approach me. Then, she came closer,
stopped, and stooped over me until her eyes
were close to mine. There was a light in
them that pierced my eyelids and penetrated
to the centre of my brain.

" It is useless for you to strive with me,"

A Cabinet Secret 119

she said ; " you are mine, and must do my
bidding."

Then she began to question me on certain
matters connected with the war and with
European politics. I appeared to be telling
her secrets, so vital in their importance, that
to have breathed them aloud to the world
would have been to run the risk of causing
the most serious international complications.
Yet, still powerless to resist, I answered the
questions as they were put to me, keeping
nothing back. When she had learnt all that
she wanted to know, she moved away from
me, and returned to the piano. Then once
more she began to play, the music growing
louder and more distinct as it progressed.
Then I woke, to find her still playing the same
piece as when I had closed my eyes. When
she had finished it, she rose from her seat.

" I think of all the great masters, I prefer
Chopin," she said, as she crossed the room.
"Yes, I am certain that he stands first in my
admiration."

Her manner was so open, so sincere, that
the suspicion I had been tempted to entertain
against her vanished in a trice. It was all
imagination, I told myself. Under the influence
of her music I must have fallen asleep and

I2O A Cabinet Secret

dreamt it all. Had I not good proof of this ?
Had it really happened, it would have taken
nearly a quarter of an hour for me to impart
the information she had asked of me. Yet
the long hand of the clock upon the mantel-piece
had only advanced three minutes since I had
last looked at it. How comforting this
assurance was to me I must leave you to
understand. It was the most singularly vivid
dream, however, I had had in my life, and,
but for the evidence of the clock, and the
sincerity of the Countess's manner, I could
have sworn that the incident I have just
described had really occurred. Yet there was
another side to the question. I had fallen
asleep while paying an afternoon call, and
the idea disquieted me more than I cared to
admit. Then a servant entered with tea, and
under the influence of the Countess's Pekoe
and fashionable chit-chat my powers of con-
versation returned to me. At last I rose to
take leave.

" I fear I have paid you an unconscionably
long visit," I said. " Your beautiful music,
however, must be blamed for my over-stepping
the bounds of politeness. I hope you will
forgive me ? "

"It has been a pleasure to me to play to

A Cabinet Secret 121

you," she answered. " One does not always
have such a sympathetic audience."

With that I left her, and on reaching the
street turned in the direction of the Park.

" I should have just time enough for a
sharp walk before I dress," I said to myself,
and took my watch from my pocket and
glanced at the dial. The clock on the mantel-

O

piece of the Countess's boudoir, when I had
said good-bye to her, had pointed to half-past
five. My watch showed a quarter to six.
This was very singular, for I remembered
looking at my watch as I stood in the portico,
after ringing the bell, and also my laughing
remark to the Countess to the effect that I
was glad to have found her at home at such
an hour, glancing at the clock as I did so.
Yet now there was a difference of rather more
than a quarter of an hour between the two ?
What did this signify ? Could the Countess's
clock have stopped while she was playing and
then have gone on again of its own accord ?
It was scarcely likely that, while I was asleep,
she had risen from the piano and had set it
going, for going it certainly was when I bade
her good-bye. The remembrance of the
dream I had had still weighed heavily upon
my mind, and, do what I would, I could

122 A Cabinet Secret

not throw it off. Yet how absurd it
was. Moreover, though I had more than
once suspected her of taking an interest in
European politics, she had always denied the
fact to me. Besides, even if this were so, and
granted that she had the power, what reason
could she possibly have had for extracting
secrets from me ? At this point the remem-
brance of her eyes and the singular influence
they had had over me in Paris, returned to
me.

"What does it all mean?" I asked myself,
as if in despair of arriving at a definite
conclusion.

I was to find that out, however, in good
time !

CHAPTER V

A/OU will remember that in the preceding
chapter I described to you the conflicting
emotions with which I viewed my now famous
call at Wiltshire House. Beyond remarking
that I was quite at a loss to account for it, and
that the passing of time did not throw any
further light upon the mystery, I need say no
more about it. There is so much to tell of
vital importance, that it behoves me to be
economical of space. Needless to say, the
Colonial Secretary's disappearance continued
to attract its full measure of public attention.
Despite the endeavours of the police, how-
ever, no clue of any sort could be
discovered, either as to his present where-
abouts, or as to the manner of his departure.
Enormous rewards were offered, but without
success. He was gone, and that was all that
could be said about it.

Meanwhile, the most alarming telegrams
were being received from the Front. Day

123

124 <d Cabinet Secret

after day the news of reverses filled the
columns of the Public Press, until it began
to look as if the prestige of England
would be destroyed for ever and a day.
Parliament had by this time assembled,
and questions innumerable were addressed
to the Secretary of State for War as
to the reasons for the deplorable condition
of affairs at the Front. Public opinion
was at fever heat, and only a small spark was
needed to bring about an explosion. Troops
were pouring out of England by every
available boat, while the Home Defence Force
was being increased to its utmost limit. Never
since the Crimea had such a state of affairs
been known, and never had the resources of
the Empire been so severely taxed. Then
came the news of the loss of another transport
at sea, a catastrophe ascribed to the presence
on board of a clock-work infernal machine ;
this was followed by the stranding of the
Son of Neptune, with the 36th Lancers on
board, at Las Palmas, by which the horses
and men, so badly needed at the seat of war,
were detained on the Island inactive until an-
other vessel could be sent from England to pick
them up and convey them to their destination.
By this time every one, save those whom

A Cabinet Secret 125

the most visible proof would not convince,
had arrived at the conclusion that we
were fighting, not only our ostensible and
declared enemies, the two South African Re-
publics, but also another powerful yet mysteri-
ous foe, whose machinations were responsible
for the disappearance of Woller and the
Colonial Secretary, for the blowing up of the
Sultan of Sedang, the destruction of the Son
of Neptune, and sundry other occurrences so
vividly and painfully impressed upon the public
mind. Then, for upwards of a fortnight, a
respite was given us, and the British tax-
payer was able to take up his paper without
finding the news of some new misfortune, for
which he would eventually be called upon to
pay for both in money and self-esteem,
described in its columns. It was fortunate that
we could not foretell the even greater troubles
that were still in store for us.

One memorable Friday morning, exactly a
fortnight . after my call at Wiltshire House, a
rumour ran through the town to the effect that
Woolwich Arsenal had been destroyed. Know-
ing the precautions that were taken at that
splendid institution to guard against such a
thing, the report was at first discredited. It
was soon found, however, to be only too true.

126 A Cabinet Secret

A terrific explosion had taken place, a large
number of employees had been killed and
wounded, while the works, then so vitally
necessary, were placed at a complete stand-
still. The lamentable occurrence was reported
to the House by the Home Secretary that
afternoon, and, as usual, the authorities declared
there was no clue to guide the police in their
search for the author of the dastardly deed.
It was in vain that questions were asked in
the House ; in vain that public orators de-
manded of the authorities that they should
exercise more care in guarding their institu-
tions ; in vain that the man in the street for-
warded his theories, and suggested remedies,
to the Press. England had a mysterious
enemy who could think as well as act, and
who, when he has finished his work, left no
trace behind to lead to his identification.

In consequence of the excitement caused
by the last disaster, the guards upon all the
public buildings were doubled, no precaution
was omitted that wisdom could dictate, and
then we waited to see where the next blow
would fall. In this fashion another fortnight
went by, during which an incident of no small
importance occurred. Quite by chance an ex-
planation was forthcoming as to how the news

A Cabinet Secret 127

of the series of disasters that had been our por-
tion in South Africa during the last few weeks
reached our shores. It was discovered that
the cable, the only one then working, had been
cleverly tampered with, the wires milked, to
use an American expression, and a doctored
version sent home for consumption. This was
corroborated by the mail reports, and despatches
describing the course of events in South Africa.
Henceforth the most rigid precautions were
taken to guard against a repetition of this
practice, and then once more we sat down to
wait.

I had seen nothing of the Countess for some
time. The fright I had received on the last
occasion that I had called upon her, was still
sufficiently impressed upon my memory to make
me a little chary of allowing her to obtain so much
influence over me. As will doubtless be agreed,
this was a somewhat contradictory decision on
my part, for in arriving at it, I had no excuse
to offer, save that I entertained for her a
mixture of admiration and, I might almost say,
of innate distrust. The admiration was easily
accounted for ; the distrust was somewhat more
difficult to explain. Was she not the bosom
friend of many of the greatest people in the
land ? She was to be met everywhere, and was

128 A Cabinet Secret

as well known a personage in London Society
as Royalty itself. Her father, it appeared, had
left England for the Continent, and it was
doubtful when he would return. Her cousin
was still with her, and was to be encountered at
every social gathering of importance. Young,
handsome, and the reported possessor of con-
siderable wealth, it was small wonder that
he found himself in request, when so many
young men were absent from England. I
have stated that I did not care for the
young Count Reiffenburg, and now I will go
even further by saying that the more I saw
of him the less I liked him.

At this point in my story it is necessary for
me to describe a circumstance, which, though
at the time it puzzled me considerably, can now
be very easily explained. It occurred on a
night when the House sat scarcely so late as
usual. As a matter of fact it was but little
after midnight when I set off to walk home.
For a time after the disappearance of the
Colonial Secretary, I had declined to be
shadowed by a detective, but now, hearkening
to the voice of Prudence, I had consented
to be shadowed by a detective whenever I
took my walk abroad. Since I am fond of
walking, particularly at night, I am afraid my

A Cabinet Secret 129

own particular shadow had rather a hard time
of it. He never complained, however, but,
faithful to his duty, kept me continually in
view, obtruding himself upon my notice as little
as possible. The feeling engendered by the
knowledge that a man is continually behind
one, watching all one does, is the reverse of
pleasant. However, like everything else in
life, one gets used to it, and after a time I took
no notice of it. On this particular occasion,
the night being so beautiful, the moon was
full, I remember, I strolled leisurely home, my
thoughts centred on the debate that had
taken place that night. There is a solemnity
about Trafalgar Square at midnight, particularly
when viewed by the light of the moon, that
is far from being its principal characteristic
by day. As I passed the spot where I had
said good-bye to poor Castellan a few weeks
before, I could not suppress a shudder.

Leaving Cockspur street behind me, I
passed on to Piccadilly, afterwards proceeding
by way of Berkeley Square to my abode. By
the time I reached my own door I was in the
full enjoyment of the night. It seemed a pity
to shut oneself up in the house when it was
so lovely outside. I therefore waited until
my faithful follower came up to me, and then

I

130 A Cabinet Secret

informed him that I intended going on for a
further stroll.

" There is not the least necessity for you
to come," I said. "You may go home to bed
as soon as you like."

" I think I would prefer to accompany you,
sir," the man replied. " I am on duty all
night, and if anything were to happen to you,
it would be my fault."

" Very well, then," I answered, " come
along."

So saying, we resumed our walk, with the
difference that on this occasion I kept the
man beside me. He proved an interesting
companion, having seen life under a variety
of aspects, and in so doing had naturally come
in contact with many strange characters.
What was more, he had the faculty of being
able to put them before you in a novel and
interesting light. He had been three times
to America in search of criminals, once to
India, and once to Australia.

By the time I had heard his experiences in the
last-named country we had reached Park Lane,
and were drawing near Wiltshire House. At the
corner we called a halt, while I felt in my pocket
for a match for my cigar. We were standing in
deep shadow, Wiltshire House being on the

A Cabinet Secret 131

further side of the road, and in the full light
of the moon. Having found a match, I was
about to strike it, when the figure of a man
on the opposite side of the street attracted
my attention. The moonlight was so bright
that I could see him quite distinctly. He was
of the poorest class, evidently a street loafer
of the description to be seen any night
stretched out on the grass of the Park. My
astonishment may be imagined, therefore, when
I saw him deliberately ascend the three steps
leading to the side door of Wiltshire House.
He paused for a moment, then the door was
softly opened to him, and he passed inside.
Scarcely able to believe the evidence of my
eyes, I turned to the man beside me and
enquired if he had noticed it ? He ad-
mitted that he had.

"What does it mean?" I asked. " Is it a
case of burglary, do you think?"

" It looks like it, sir," he replied. "What-
ever it is, he has got a confederate inside."

" What do you think had better be done ? "
I enquired. " The Countess de Venetza is
a personal friend, and I cannot allow her house
to be robbed without making an effort to
prevent it."

" We had better call the policeman on the

132 A Cabinet Secret

beat," the man replied ; " after that we can
arouse the household. There shouldn't be
much difficulty in securing the fellow. If
you wouldn't mind keeping your eye on that
door for a few minutes, sir, I'll go off and find
the constable."

I willingly agreed to watch the door, and
the detective departed on his errand. In
something less than five minutes he returned,
bringing two policemen with him. The men
had evidently been informed of my identity,
for they saluted respectfully, and one of them
enquired what I wished done in the matter.

" I think the better plan would be to call up
the house-steward and inform him of what
we have seen," I replied. "You will then
be able to search the house and effect the
capture of the burglar."

Leaving us to guard the door through which
the old man had entered, one of the police-
men went round to the front of the house.
The other ascended the steps and rang the
bell. To his first summons there was no
response, so he rang again. The bell echoed
in the basement of the great house, this time
to some purpose, for a few minutes later a
shuffling footstep was heard within. Then
the key turned in the lock and the door was

A Cabinet Secret 133

opened on the chain to the extent of a few
inches.

"Who's there?" asked a man's voice.

" Police," answered the officer. " I'm
here to warn you that there's a man has just
got into the house. Somebody let him in at
this door."

" Man got into the house ? " was the alarmed
response. " You don't mean that, I hope,
policeman ? "

" I do," replied the constable. " You had
better let us come in and have a look round.
We've been watching the house and he hasn't
come out yet. My mate's round at the front,
and there's a detective officer here. Get a
candle and we'll go through the rooms with you."

The thought that he was to be called upon
to assist in the arrest of a burglar was too
much for the old man. He tremblingly
invited the officer to lead the way down the
stairs to the basement. While they were
absent we remained at the door, expecting
every minute to hear the sound of a scuffle
from within. Five minutes or so later they
ascended once more and the constable shook
his head.

" Wherever else he is, sir," he said, address-
ing me, "he's not down there."

134 <d Cabinet Secret

The words had scarcely left his lips before
the door at the further end of the passage
opened, and the Countess herself stood before
us. Much to my astonishment I saw that she
was in full evening dress. Her appearance
was so entirely unexpected that I could only
stare at her in surprise.

" What does this mean ? " she enquired, with
a haughtiness that sat well upon her. " Why,
surely it is Sir George Manderville ! What
can have happened ? This is rather a late
hour for a call, Sir George ! "

I explained what had occurred, told her of
the man I had seen enter by the side door,
and whom I was perfectly certain had not come
forth again.

" Then he must be in the house now," she
cried in a voice of alarm. " Who can it be, and
who could possibly have let him in ? "

" Some dishonest member of your house-
hold," I replied. " It would be as well if you
were to find out who that person is. In the
meantime, let me beg of you to permit the
officers to search the house."

To this she willingly assented, at the same
time bidding the steward rouse the house-
keeper.

" While the search is proceeding won't you

A Cabinet Secret 135

come to my boudoir, Sir George ? " she said.
" I have been sitting there reading since I
returned from the theatre, and I am quite
sure that the wretch, whoever he may be,
is not in that part of the building."

I followed her to the room in question,
which was on the other side of the house, and
we were about to enter it, when the sound
of a footstep upon the stairs attracted my
attention, and I looked up, to see her cousin,
Count Reiffenburg, descending towards us.

"What is the matter?" he asked. "Why,
Sir George Manderville, I did not expect
to find you here ! "

I briefly explained the situation to him,
whereupon he remarked, with that curious
smile upon his face : — " It seems that you are
destined always to prove our benefactor. But
while we are talking here the man may make
his escape. I think I will go round with the
police, and see if I can be of any assistance
to them."

He left us, and for something like ten
minutes the Countess and I waited for the
sound that was to proclaim the capture of the
intruder. But no such good fortune rewarded
us. If the man were in the house — and of
this I had no doubt — he had managed to

136 A Cabinet Secret

conceal himself so effectually that the police
could not find him. In the meantime the
housekeeper had put in an appearance, and
was despatched to interrogate the female
domestics, and discover, if possible, who it
was that had opened the door. She returned
with the information that she had found all the
maid-servants in bed and asleep, while the
steward was equally certain that none of the
men under his charge had anything to do with
the occurrence. At last, after searching the
house, the police were compelled to confess
that they were at a loss to understand what
had become of him.

" But there can be no doubt about his being
here," I declared ; " I distinctly saw him enter.
He was an old man, very ragged, with long
grey hair, and stooped as he walked. The
detective officer who was with me at the time
can also corroborate what I say, if necessary."

" That is not necessary, for of course we
accept your word," said Reiffenburg with
elaborate politeness. " The question is : if,
as you say, he entered, where is he now ?
He cannot have vanished into space, and we
have searched every corner without success."

"Then he must have an accomplice in the
house who is hiding him," I returned. "If

A Cabinet Secret 137

both exits have been guarded, he cannot
have got out."

By this time I was beginning to wish that I
had had nothing to do with the matter. The
Countess, however, was profuse in her thanks
to me, for what she described as "a most
considerate and friendly act."

Seeing that I could be of no further use
to her, I apologized for my intrusion and
bade them good-night.

" Should we by any chance manage to
secure the fellow, I will let you know," said
Reiffenburg, as we stood together at the
front door. " I fear, however, we shall not
be so fortunate."

There was a sneer in his voice, for which
I could have kicked him. However, I kept
my temper, and murmuring something to
the effect that I was glad to have been of
service, I took my departure, and the door
closed behind me.

"That was one of the most extraordinary
affairs I have ever known," I said to the
detective, as we turned our faces homewards.
" I am quite at a loss to account for it."

The detective stopped suddenly and looked
at me.

"The lady and gentleman are particular

138 A Cabinet Secret

friends of yours, sir, I understand, and I
don't know in that case whether I ought to
tell you what is in my mind. But I fancy I
could throw a rather unexpected light upon
the affair."

" Speak out, then, by all means," I answered.
"What was it you noticed?"

"This, sir," he said, and as he spoke he
took from his pocket a small piece of black
matter about half the size of a pea. He
handed it to me and asked if I had seen it
before. I informed him that I was quite sure
I had not.

" It only bears out, sir, what I was saying
as we came down Park Lane, just before
we reached Wiltshire House. If it weren't
for little things, that they overlook, we
shouldn't be able to lay our hands on half
the criminals we want. Now mind you, sir,
I don't mean to infer by that that your friend
Count Reiffenburg is a criminal. Not at all ;
that would be a very wrong thing to say.
He's probably been playing a practical joke,
as gentlemen will. The fact, however, re-
mains that he gave himself away with that
little lump of black stuff, just as surely as
Bill Coakes of the Minories did when he
gave his sweetheart the silk handkerchief

A Cabinet Secret 139

that he picked up in old Mrs Burgiss's bed-
room. He didn't think it was of any im-
portance, but she wore it, quarrelled with a
girl over it, the police came to hear of it, and
Bill was caught. So it was just that slip
that brought him to the gallows."

" I do not understand you," I replied, still
holding the tiny bit of black stuff in my hand.
"What is the connection between this substance
and Count Reiffenburg ? "

" It's the key tt> the whole puzzle, sir," he
said, and took it from me.

Turning his face away, he put his hand to
his mouth, and then wheeling round again,
parted his lips and showed me his teeth.
The eye-tooth on the right-hand side was
missing. He put up his hand once more, and
lo ! it was restored to its place.

"That's what I mean, sir," he said. " Now
I noticed, when the gentleman came down-
stairs, that one of his eye-teeth were missing.
He wanted to make himself look old, I suppose,
and when he had taken off the other pieces,
had forgotten to remove that one. Then he
must have remembered it, for his hand went
up to his mouth, and next minute it was on
the floor, where I managed to get hold of
it."

140 A Cabinet Secret

" Do you mean to infer that the old man
we saw enter the house was the Count
Reiffenburg ? " I asked, aghast.

"That is my belief, sir," said the man ; "and
I feel certain that if I were allowed to search
his bedroom, I should find my suspicions
corroborated."

" But what possible reason could he have
for masquerading as a pauper outcast, and
who let him in?"

"As to his reason, sir, I can hazard no sort
of guess," he continued. " But it was the
lady herself who let him in."

" How on earth do you know that ? "

"By a process of simple reasoning, sir.
Did you happen to notice that, when we
returned to the hall after our search of the
first section of the house, the gentleman
carried a book in his hand ? "

" Now that you mention the fact I do re-
member it," I answered. " But what has the
book to do with it ? "

"A great deal," he answered. "You may
not be aware of the fact, but there's a small
sitting-room near that side door — a tiny place
where the housekeeper does her accounts.
The book, when we first searched the room,
was lying upon the table."

A Cabinet Secret 141

" May not the housekeeper have been read-
ing it before she went to bed ? "

"The housekeeper is an Englishwoman,
sir, and not very well educated. I should
call it remarkable if she knew Italian, and
little short of marvellous if she read Dante
in the original. Now, sir, when Count
Reiffenburg entered the lady's boudoir, he
brought that book with him and placed it
on one of the tables. He wouldn't have done
that if it had been the property of the house-
keeper, would he ? No, sir ! Count Reiffen-
burg was out, and the young lady, who is
his cousin, I think I understood you to
say, sir, sat up for him in order to be
near the door. That's the way I read the
riddle."

" And I must confess that you have a
certain amount of probability on your side,"
I answered. " At the same time, if I were
you, I should say nothing about the discovery.
It can serve no good purpose to bruit it abroad.
Do you think the two policemen noticed any-
thing of the kind ? "

The detective gave a scornful little laugh.
" I don't think you need have much fear
on that score, sir," he answered. " I doubt
very much whether the man who went round

142 A Cabinet Secret

with me noticed the book at all. His theory
was that the fellow we saw enter was one of
the servants who had been out late, and not
a burglar at all."

By this time we had reached my own
residence, and I bade the man good-night upon
the steps. Having let myself in, I went to
my study to deposit some papers I had brought
with me from the House, then to my bedroom
and to bed. The incident at Wiltshire House
annoyed me, if only for the reason that I could
not understand it. What could the young
Count Reiffenburg have been doing — if it were
he, as the detective declared — wandering about
London in that attire ? That in itself was bad
enough, but it was made much worse by the
knowledge that his beautiful cousin had been
conniving at his escapade. One thing was
quite certain ; if I had entertained a dislike
for Reiffenburg before, it was doubled now.
At last, tired by my long day and the events
that had concluded it, I fell asleep, and did
not wake until I opened my eyes to find
Williams standing beside my bed, overcome
with excitement and horror.

"What is the matter, man?" I cried.
"What makes you look like that?"

" There's terrible news, sir," he faltered.

A Cabinet Secret 143

" There's been a lot lately, but this is the worst
of all."

"What is the matter, man?" I cried for the
second time. " Don't stand there trembling.
Tell me what has happened."

" I scarcely know how to tell you, sir," he
answered, his voice almost failing him.

" Then give me the paper and let me look
for myself," I said, and took it from him. On
the page before me, in large type, was an
announcement that made me feel sick and
giddy :—

"ASSASSINATION OF THE PRIME MINISTER!"

My horror was greater even than Williams's
had been. I read the heavy black lines over
and over again, as if unable to grasp their
meaning. The Prime Minister dead ! My old
friend and Chief murdered ! Could it be
possible ?

When I had recovered my composure a little,
I took up the paper, and tried to read the
account there set forth. There had only been
time for the insertion of a short paragraph, but
its importance was such that it would ring
throughout the world. It ran as follows : —

" It is with a sorrow that cannot be expressed in
words, that we record the fact that the Right Honour-

144 ^ Cabinet Secret

able, the Earl of Litford, Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs, and Prime Minister of England,
was assassinated soon after midnight. The Prime
Minister was last seen alive by his private secretary,
in the study at his residence at Grosvenor Square.
He had left the House of Lords early, but, with
the exception of a slight headache, appeared to be
in the best of health and spirits. The presumption
is that he was stabbed in the back, but how the
wound was inflicted, and by whom, are matters
which, at present, cannot be explained."

I could find no words to express my
horror and surprise. It was only a few
hours since he had congratulated me upon my
speech in answer to the accusations of certain
members of the Little Englander Party ; now
England was bereft, by as foul an act as had
ever been committed in the annals of crime,
of one of her greatest statesmen and of one
of her noblest sons.

Craving further particulars, I dressed with
all speed, and then drove to his residence in
Grosvenor Square. Leaving my cab, I walked
towards the well-known house, before which a
large number of people had collected. Recog-
nising me, they allowed me to pass, and so
I gained the front door of the house I had so
often entered as the friend and colleague of

A Cabinet Secret 145

the dead man. I was shown into the morning-
room, where presently I was joined by the
secretary, who, as the newspapers had reported,
had been the last to see him before the tragedy
took place.

" Tell me about it," I said, after we had
greeted each other.

From his narrative I gathered that the dead
man, on his return from the House, after
spending half-an-hour with his wife, went
to his study. His secretary followed
him there, to ascertain if he could be of any
further assistance to him. He found him
seated at the table writing, and was informed
by him that he required nothing more, and
that it would not be very long before he
himself retired to rest.

" Was the window in the study open ? " I
asked.

" No," he answered; "it was closed, and
the shutters were barred. That was at
half-past eleven. At half-past twelve, wonder-
ing why her husband did not come upstairs,
Lady Litford went in search of him. Her
horror may be pictured when she dis-
covered him, seated in his chair, quite dead.
He had been stabbed to the heart from
behind."

K

146 A Cabinet Secret

"And were there no traces of any one
having entered the room ? "

" Not one. The police have taken posses-
sion of it, but so far they have been unable
to discover any trace of the assassin's entry
or the means by which he effected his de-
parture."

"And Lady Litford? How does she bear
up under the blow ? "

" So bravely, that it makes one's heart ache
to see her."

Then, at my request, he conducted me up-
stairs, and I was permitted to gaze upon
the face of the dead man. It was as
peaceful as in life's serenest moments, calm
and dignified — the face of a man who has done
his duty to his Sovereign and his country,
and whose life has been given in her service.
Then, with a sorrow in my heart greater than
I had known for many years, I looked my last
upon the face of the dead, and I left the room.

When I had sent a message of deepest
sympathy to the widow, I bade the secretary
good-bye, and left the house. So awe-struck
was the crowd by the magnitude of the tragedy,
that scarcely a sound came from it, though,
as if in proof of sympathy, here and there a
hand was stretched out to me.

A Cabinet Secret 147

" He was a good man and a proper gentle-
man," said a burly costermonger. " It's a pity
we hadn't more like him."

It seemed to me that that homely speech
was as fine an eulogium of the dead as could
have been spoken by the most cultured tongue.

I often wonder now what I should have
done, had I known the part I had uncon-
sciously played in that terrible drama. At
that moment, lying, no one knew where — per-
haps in the crevice of some paving-stone, or
carried into the water-table by a passing
shower — was a small piece of black wax, which,
could it have spoken, would have been able
to tell a tale without its equal for treachery and
villainy in all the world. How I became aware
of this, you will learn as my story progresses.

CHAPTER VI

HP HE catalogue of woes, which it has been
my ill- fortune to be compelled to
chronicle, is indeed a long one, but of all the
items I have set down, none had had such a
terrible effect upon the public mind as the
assassination of the Prime Minister. Ex-
pressions of genuine sorrow poured forth from
every side, and party feeling, for the
time being at least, was forgotten. Even
the most antagonistic of the Continental
journals, though perhaps rejoicing in their
hearts at Great Britain's misfortune, admitted
that she was passing through a time of severe
trial, and while they prophesied our ultimate
downfall, showed very plainly their admiration
for our fortitude. Indeed the self-control of
the nation at this particular period was a little
short of marvellous. The war was draining her
of her best blood ; those at the helm of the Ship
of State were being one by one mysteriously
done away with ; she had been the victim of a

148

A Cabinet Secret 149

vast scheme of false intelligence, her great
arsenal had been blown up and the supply of
munitions of war thereby seriously imperilled
at the most critical juncture ; a large proportion
of her army were prisoners in the enemy's
hands, and three other portions were locked up
in beleagured towns. Yet, with it all, she
continued the struggle with as much deter-
mination as she had first entered upon it.
The bull-dog tenacity permeated all classes ;
it was shared by the peer, the country squire,
the small farmer, the tradesman and the
artizan ; it was voiced by the Prime Minister,
and echoed by the costermonger. Whatever
it might cost, England was resolved to win in
the end. That end, however, was still far off,
and much blood would have to be spilt and
a large amount of money spent before we
should be able to call ourselves the victors.

Meanwhile, troops were still pouring out of
England, and more were hastening to her assist-
ance from Australia and Canada. Even in these
loyal portions of the Empire, however, strenuous
efforts were being made by some mysterious
power, upon which it was impossible to lay
hands, to undermine their affection for the
mother country. Treasonable pamphlets were
distributed broadcast ; an infernal machine

150 A Cabinet Secret

was discovered on board a troop-ship on the
point of sailing from a Queensland port ;
another was discovered on board a transport in
Sydney harbour; while a third vessel, owing to
the wilful carelessness of the captain, who was
afterwards arraigned on a charge of High
Treason, but was acquitted for want of
sufficient evidence, was put ashore, with all
her troops on board, on the coast of South
Australia. It was in Canada, however, that
the trouble was worst. Its proximity to the
United States favoured the Fenian propa-
ganda, and, despite the loyalty of the French
Canadians — of which no one felt a doubt — an
attempt was made to induce them to swerve in
their allegiance to the Empire. Such was the
state of affairs when Lord Litford's successor
took up the reins of office.

It must not be thought that, because they
achieved no result, the police were lax in their
attempts to discover the perpetrator or perpe-
trators of that cruel crime. To employ again
that well-worn phrase, not a stone was left
unturned to arrive at an understanding of the
manner in which the deed was done. One
thing was quite certain, it had been carefully
planned ; but then so had the disappearance
of Woller and the Colonial Secretary. The

A Cabinet Secret 151

destruction of Woolwich Arsenal was a work
of devilish ingenuity ; while the blowing up of
the transport Sultan of Sedang 2& Madeira was
arranged to a nicety. In the case of the Prime
Minister, the servants and members of his
household were interrogated, but were all dis-
missed from the case as being beyond suspicion.
They unitedly declared that, to the best of
their belief, no stranger had entered the house
up to the time of their going to bed, nor had
any suspicious person been seen in its vicinity
during the day. Moreover, the police on duty
in the Square had been instructed to keep a
watchful eye upon the house, and they were
able to affirm that they had seen no one loiter-
ing near the Prime Minister's residence from
the earliest hours of morning until the time
that the news of the tragedy was made known.
Yet the fact remained that some one had
entered the house, and had been able to make
his way unobserved to the library, where the
crime was committed, and afterwards to get
out again undiscovered. Needless to say, a
large reward was offered by the authorities for
any information which would lead to a convic-
tion ; but though a multitude of communications
were received in answer to it, from all sorts and
conditions of people, not one was of any value.

152 A Cabinet Secret

On the Friday following the assassination of
the Prime Minister, and the day before the
funeral, according to custom I took a consti-
tutional in the Park before going down to my
office. As a matter of fact I was somewhat
earlier than usual, and for that reason, with the
exception of a few riders in the Row, and the
customary bicycle contingent, the Park was
comparatively empty. I entered by the Gros-
venor Gate, walked as far as the Barracks,
and then retraced my steps towards Piccadilly,
passing along the north bank of the Serpentine.
I had several difficult problems to work out
that day, and one of them was occupying my
mind as I walked beside the lake. Suddenly
a voice I recognised fell upon my ear, and I
looked up to find, seated a few paces distant
from me, no less a person than the Countess
de Venetza. She was engaged in an earnest
conversation with a dark, foreign-looking in-
dividual, an Italian, without the shadow of a
doubt. The Countess did not see me at first,
but, as soon as she did, she said something
hurriedly to the man beside her and came
forward to greet me.

" You are out early, Sir George," she
began. " The Park is delightful at this time
of the day, is it not ? "

A Cabinet Secret 153

"Delightful indeed," I replied. "I did
not expect, however, to have the pleasure of
meeting you in it."

" I walk here almost every morning," she
answered. And then, after we had uttered
a few commonplaces, she continued : " And
now, while I think of it, let me apologize to
you for my rudeness in having omitted to
thank you again for the great service you
rendered us on the occasion of the burglary
at Wiltshire House. Had it not been for
your prompt action, we should have been
more seriously robbed, while it is quite possible
that something worse might have happened."

"You say that you might have been ' more
seriously robbed"1 ?" I returned. "Am I to
understand, then, that the man was found in
the house after all ? "

"He was not found in the house" she
replied. " But we have discovered by what
means he effected his escape from it. While
Conrad and the police were looking for
him downstairs, he was hidden in a dressing-
room adjoining that which used to be my
father's apartment, at the back of the house.
When they ascended the stairs he opened
the window and lowered himself down to a
roof below. Then he must have made his

154 <d Cabinet Secret

way through the mews at the back and reached
safety again. In proof of this a small silver
ornament, one of the few missing things, was
found next day in the guttering of the roof."
If this were so, then the detective's statement
to the effect that the man who had entered
the house was none other than young Reiffen-
burg was altogether beyond the mark, and
would only serve to show the folly of judg-
ing by purely circumstantial evidence.

"In that case, who do you suspect of
having admitted him to the house ? " I
enquired, for this was a point of considerable
importance.

"An under-footman," she replied, "who
has since been discharged. His behaviour
struck Conrad as being rather suspicious at
the time, but it was not until other things
were found to be missing, that we derived a
real knowledge of his character."

" I am rejoiced to know that the mystery
has been solved," I said. " But pray for-
give me, Countess ; see, I have driven your
friend away."

She gave a start before she replied.

" He is not my friend," she answered some-
what hurriedly, " merely a begging compa-
triot. The poor fellow is a teacher of music,

A Cabinet Secret 155

who puts forward his art as a claim upon
my bounty. He is anxious to return to Italy,
but cannot do so for want of means."

Now there was one point about this
speech that I did not understand. As I
had approached the seat, I distinctly heard
the foreigner say authoritatively in Italian :
" It is the order of the Council and must
be obeyed." Of course the words might have
meant anything, but the tone was certainly
one of authority. It struck me as being
peculiar that an impoverished music-master,
soliciting the Countess's assistance, should
address her in such a tone. Why I should
have bothered myself with the fellow's affairs
I cannot say. The impulse, however, was
irresistible.

" To be stranded in a strange country is a
hard fate," I said. " Since I am also a
devotee of his beautiful art, will you not
permit me to assist you in your work of
benevolence. If you will furnish me with
the man's name and address, I will see that
he is helped to attain his object."

As I said this I could not help thinking
that I detected a frightened look in her face.

"Oh, no, you must not do that," she said
hurriedly. "He is a very proud man, and

156 A Cabinet Secret

would only accept help from me because I
am a compatriot and happen to know some-
thing of his family. I feel sure that he would
be extremely angry with me if he knew that
I had said anything to you upon the subject."

" I am sorry that you will not let me assist
him," I said. " I have no desire, however, to
hurt his feelings. Forget that I said anything
about it."

" Ah ! now I have offended you," she con-
tinued, with a look of pain upon her face. " For-
give me, I am very thoughtless. Had we been
speaking my own Italian it would have been
different. Your English is so hard, so un-
sympathetic."

Her voice was so full of entreaty, her whole
demeanour so expressive of sorrow, that I
almost repented me of the trick I had en-
deavoured to play upon her. What did it
matter to me whether the man were an old
friend, or only the stranger she had repre-
sented him to be ? I accordingly begged her
to say no more upon the subject, assuring
her that I was not in the least hurt at her
declining my offer. This seemed to soothe
her, and presently, when we had walked some
little distance beside the water, her cheerful-
ness returned. She had been amusing herself

A Cabinet Secret 157

of late, so she informed me, by working out a
sketch for the dinner-party to which she had
invited me. It was to be an unique affair of
its kind.

" All that remains to be settled is, when shall
it be?" she asked. "How would Thursday
next suit you ? "

" Impossible, I am afraid," I answered. " I
have promised to go to Aldershot on Wednesday,
to be present next day at an inspection of the
men who are to sail on Saturday for the South."

" Then would the Wednesday following suit
you ? "

" Admirably," I replied. " It would be more
convenient for a variety of reasons."

" Then it is settled that we are to dine
together on Wednesday week at eight o'clock.
You will not forget ? "

" Is it likely that I should be guilty of
such rudeness?"! asked, and then added,
with what was for me unusual gallantry, " I
shall count the days that must elapse before
the time can arrive."

" I am hopeful of being able to get the Duke
of Rotherhithe to meet you," she said. " Do
you know that he is in England ? "

" I was not aware of it," I answered ; " but
I am very glad to hear it, nevertheless."

158 A Cabinet Secret

I did not say that one of my reasons for
being glad was that I hoped to be able to
obtain from him some particulars concerning
my fair friend. I remembered the statement
she had made during our journey from Paris
together, to the effect that she and her father
had been yachting with Rotherhithe in the
Mediterranean. If they were on such intimate
terms it was more than likely that my old
friend would know more about her than any
one else in our world of fashion would be
likely to do.

When we reached Hyde Park Corner we
paused for a few moments. I do not think
she could ever have looked more beautiful
than she did then, certainly never more
dangerous.

" I wonder if, after we part, we shall ever
meet again ? " she said, with what was almost
a touch of sadness in her voice.

" Are you, then, thinking of leaving England
soon ? " I asked in some surprise, for until that
moment she had not spoken of terminating
her visit.

" I do not think we shall remain very much
longer," she replied. " I have duties abroad
that are calling for my attention."

" I hope when you go that you will be able

A Cabinet Secret 159

to say you have enjoyed your stay with us ? "
I said.

" I should have," she replied, " had it not
been for this dreadful war. But as things
are, how could one enjoy oneself?"

Had I known then all that I now know, I
should have realized the double meaning con-
tained in her remark. But more of that anon.
At last we bade each other good-bye, and
separated, she crossing the Park in the direc-
tion of Wiltshire House, while I passed out
and made my way over Constitution Hill
towards Pall Mall.

On the Wednesday following the event I

have just described, I accompanied the Com-

mander-in-Chief and several other members

of the Government to Aldershot, to inspect

the large body of troops then about to leave

for the front. We were to be the guests of

Lord Beckingdale during the time we were

there, and were to return to London on the

Thursday evening after the inspection. We

accordingly left Waterloo together, proceeded

by train to Farnborough, and then drove to

Lord Beckingdale's residence by coach. It

was a glorious afternoon, and the change

from London to the country was delightful.

I commented upon this, whereupon Beck-

160 A Cabinet Secret

ingdale, who is one of my oldest friends,
began to rally me on my preference for the
Metropolis.

" I thought you would get over it in time,"
he said with one of his hearty laughs. "Why
don't you marry, George, and settle down in
the country? You would make an ideal
Squire."

" I should be bored to death in a week,"
I replied. " Besides, who is there that would
take pity on me ? I am not so young as I was,
and I am afraid that I have had my liberty
too long to make a good husband."

As I said this the image of the Countess
rose before my mind's eye, though why it
should have done so at this particular moment
is more than I can say. Though I admired
her intensely, my admiration went no further.
She was a delightful hostess and an exceed-
ingly clever woman, but I should no more
have thought of making her Lady Manderville
than I should have tried to jump from the Clock
Tower of the Houses of Parliament into the
river.

At that moment we were descending a steep
hill, through a closely-wooded plantation. We
were half-way down, when I happened to catch
sight of a man standing among the trees, some

A Cabinet Secret 161

fifty yards or so from the road. Strange to
say, he was watching us through a pair of
field-glasses, and was evidently much interested
in our movements, though it looked as if he
himself had no desire to attract attention.
Then he disappeared amongst the brushwood,
and, for the time being, I thought no more
about him.

On reaching the Park, we were most
cordially received by Lady Beckingdale, and
partook of afternoon tea with her in the
hall, which is one of the most charming
features of that beautiful house. A stroll
round the grounds, and a visit to the stud
farm afterwards, wiled away the time until
the dressing gong sounded. Then we re-
turned to the house, and made our way to
our various rooms. Before commencing to
dress I went to the windows and looked
out. The gardens on that particular side of
the house slope upwards until they reach the
small paddock which separates them from the
woods behind. Now I have a fairly sharp
eye, and a faculty of noticing, which some-
times stands me in good stead. On this
particular occasion I was watching the even-
ing light upon the trees in the plantation
opposite, when suddenly I saw a brace of

L

1 62 A Cabinet Secret

pheasants fly quickly out, followed by half-
a-dozen more. They had evidently been
disturbed by some human being.

" Just give me my glasses for a moment,
Williams," I said, and in a trice he had
handed me the pair I had brought down for
the inspection next day. Seating myself in
the window, I brought them to bear upon
the spot where the birds had flown out.
For a moment I could see nothing. Then
I thought I could detect what looked like
a grey trouser-leg, peeping out beneath the
branches of a fir. I called Williams to my
side and handed him the glasses, directing
him where to look.

" What do you make of it ? " I asked.

"It looks as if there's somebody hiding
there, sir," he answered. " Yes, sir, I'm sure
of it," he added a few moments later. "If
you will look now, you will be able to see
him creeping away."

I took the glasses again and once more
turned them upon the spot. What he had
said was quite correct ; the figure of a man
dressed in a grey suit could just be dis-
tinguished disappearing into the deeper part
of the wood. It immediately occurred to me
that the man I had seen that afternoon,

A Cabinet Secret 163

when we were on our way to the Park, had
also been dressed in grey. Could this be
the individual who had watched us then ?
And if so, what were his reasons for behav-
ing in this mysterious fashion ? I did not
like the idea of it, remembering as I did
the dangerous condition of the times, and
the manner in which so many of my friends
had been attacked.

" Keep what you have seen to yourself,
Williams," I said ; " I will speak to Lord
Beckingdale myself about it when I go down-
stairs. If the man is a poacher, or has any
dishonest reason for being there, he will
know what to do in the matter."

Williams promised to obey my instructions,
and when I had dressed, I made my way
downstairs to find our host and the Com-
mander-in-Chief standing before the fire-place,
in which a cheerful fire was burning.

" By the way, Beckingdale," I said, when
I had answered the remark one of them
made to me as I descended the stairs, " who
is the man in your plantation with the grey
suit and field-glasses."

"Man with grey suit and field-glasses?"
he repeated, with a look of surprise on his
face. " I have many friends who are the

164 A Cabinet Secret

happy possessors of both articles. But what
makes you ask me such a question at the
present moment ? "

" For a good and sufficient reason," I
replied, and went on to tell him of the two
occasions that afternoon upon which I had
seen the person in question.

" What a singular thing ! " he said, when
I had finished. " I wonder who the fellow
is, and what his idea can be in watching the
house ? As you are aware, the place is being
patrolled by police to-night, and I think I had
better inform them of the circumstance. After
the terrible events of the last few weeks it does
not do to run any risks. Can you describe
the man ? "

I furnished him with as accurate a descrip-
tion of the fellow as it was possible to give,
whereupon he departed in search of the officer
in command of the police. When he returned
we joined the ladies in the drawing-room,
and then went in to dinner. It was not until
the ladies had withdrawn and cigarettes were
lighted, that the subject of the grey man was
introduced. A small piece of paper was
handed to our host by the butler. He
glanced at it and then looked across the
table to where I sat.

A Cabinet Secret 165

" Here is the police report," he said.
"It informs me that they have scoured all
the plantations round the estate with the
assistance of the keepers, but have not been
successful in discovering the man you saw.
No doubt he was some prying celebrity hunter,
who has taken himself off, to Aldershot
probably, where he will have no opportunity
of seeing you to-morrow."

This brought a round of questions from the
others, who, with the exception of the
Commander-in-Chief, had not heard of the
incident. When each man had settled the
question to his own satisfaction, the subject
was dropped, and we rose from the table to
return to the drawing-room. Here we in-
dulged in music and conversation until half-
past ten o'clock, smoked in the billiard-room
for another hour, and at half-past eleven
bade each other good-night in the gallery
that ran round the hall, and retired to our
respective rooms. By this time the character
of the night had changed. A boisterous wind
had risen, and heavy rain was driven tem-
pestuously against the window-panes. It
certainly did not look very promising for the
inspection on the morrow. I inquired from
Williams whether anything further had been

1 66 A Cabinet Secret

heard concerning the man we had both seen
in the plantation opposite the house.

" Not that I know of, sir," he replied ;
" I did not hear it mentioned. But there's
one thing that's been on my mind ever since
you spoke to me about it to - night, and I
must own that it puzzles me. I don't say
it's right, of course ; at the same time I've
got a feeling that I'm not so very far
wrong."

" What is it ? " I enquired with interest,
for Williams is a staid and circumspect in-
dividual, and is not in the habit of committing
himself to a rash statement.

"It is just this, sir. When you sent me
down to the Commander-in-Chiefs residence
with that note this morning, there was a man
walking on the opposite side of the street
who, to the best of my belief, was dressed
just as this man was — that is to say, in a grey
suit and a soft black hat."

"There is nothing very remarkable in
that," I answered, a little disappointed. "You
would probably find a dozen men dressed in
a similar fashion in a short walk through the
West End."

" I beg your pardon, sir, but I thought the
coincidence worth mentioning," Williams replied

A Cabinet Secret 167

in rather a crestfallen way. Then he bade me
good-night and I retired to rest.

That night I slept like a top, and did not
wake until Williams entered my room next
morning. He informed me that the rain had
passed off, that it was a fine day, and then
busied himself with preparations for my toilet.
These were barely accomplished, and I was
in the act of commencing to shave, when the
handle of my door turned, and Beckingdale,
almost beside himself with excitement, entered
the room.

"Great Heavens! Manderville," he cried
in a voice which, had I not seen him, I should
scarcely have recognised as his, "a most
awful thing has happened. The Commander-
in-Chief is missing."

"Missing?" I echoed, as if I scarcely
understood the meaning of the word. " What
do you mean ? "

" I mean that his valet came to my man,
Walters, about half an hour ago, and told him
that he had knocked repeatedly on the door of
his master's bedroom and could get no reply.
My man came to me with the story, and when
I had tried the door myself with the same
result, I gave orders that it should be broken
in. You may imagine our feelings when we

1 68 A Cabinet Secret

discovered the room to be empty. The bed
had been slept in, it is true, but there was not
a trace of the man we wanted. What was
more, the windows were shut. The. police
are now searching in all directions. What on
earth shall we do ? The inspection is at eleven
o'clock, and it is most unlikely that we shall
have the good fortune to find him before then."

Terrible as the situation was, I could not
help recalling the fact that I had taken part
in just such another interview on the morning
of Woller's disappearance, when the Com-
mander-in-Chief had asked my advice as to
what should be done to find the missing man
before that identical hour.

" Help me if you possibly can," cried Beck-
ingdale, who, like myself, was quite over-
whelmed by the magnitude of the misfortune.
"Though I know I am not to blame, I cannot
help reproaching myself for having permitted
this to happen in my house. How can it
have been managed, and who can have done
it?"

I shook my head.

' The same mysterious power that is re-
sponsible for Woller's disappearance and for
the Prime Minister's death," I said. "But
who is there amongst us who can say what

A Cabinet Secret 169

that power is. Good Heavens ! " I cried,
as the consequences rose before me, " the
Commander-in-Chief gone ! I can scarcely
credit it. Surely some one must have heard
something? What room is beneath his bed-
room ? "

"The dining-room, unfortunately," Becking-
dale replied, " and as ill luck would have it,
the room adjoining it on the right is empty,
while M'Innister occupies that on the left.
The latter says he heard nothing suspicious,
but that's easily accounted for, by reason of
his deafness and the storm we had. But
what on earth can have become of him ? I
would give anything to have him before me
now. How cheerful he was last night, and
how sanguine as to the ultimate end of the
war ! This will prove another bitter blow
to the nation."

"And it has had enough already," I replied.
" We had better telegraph to the War Office
and Scotland Yard at once."

" I have already done that," he said. " I
have also sent a special messenger to the
commanding officer down here, informing him
of the occurrence, and asking him to send
out troops to scour the country in the hope
of discovering some trace of the missing man.

170 A Cabinet Secret

I do not see what else we can do at the
present."

Then a thought struck me. What about
the grey man whom Williams declared he had
seen on the previous morning near the Com-
mander-in-Chiefs residence, whom I had seen
watching us through field-glasses, on our way
to Beckirigdale Park, and whom Williams and
I had both seen in the plantation opposite the
house when I went up to dress for dinner ?

I recalled the fact of his presence to
Beckingdale.

" I have not forgotten him," he said.

II Directly I heard that they could not get
into his room, a suspicion of what might be
in store for us flashed through my mind, and
I said to myself, ' If anything has happened
to him, I shall say that Manderville's grey
man is mixed up in the business.' As soon
as the worst was apparent, I spoke to the
police upon the subject, and they have once
more made an effort to find him or to hear
of him, without success. The grey man is
as mysteriously missing as the Commander-
in-Chief himself, and as to the part he played
in the other's disappearance, it seems to me
that we are likely to remain as ignorant as
we are of everything else. Now, dress as

A Cabinet Secret 171

quickly as you can, there's a good fellow,
and come down to my study. We must hold
a council together, and see what's to be
done."

I did as he desired, and when I was ready
I made my way to his study.

When I reached it I found Beckingdale and
the one other guest awaiting my coming. The
terrible effect that had been produced by the
news of the morning was to be seen on their
faces. For upwards of an hour we discussed
the question in all its bearings, but eager as
we were to do all that lay in our power to
render assistance to the missing man, we
were obliged to confess that we were unable
to do anything. By this time wires were
pouring in from all parts, and it is quite certain
that the powers of the little village telegraph
office had never been so severely taxed before.
At ten o'clock it was decided, by unanimous
consent, that the inspection should be aban-
doned in the absence of the Commander-in
Chief, and accordingly, at half-past ten, we
returned to town. It is needless for me to
say that it was a miserable journey. Our
spirits were as low as it was possible for the
spirits of human beings to be. On reaching
Waterloo we drove direct to the Foreign

172 A Cabinet Secret

Office, where a Cabinet Council had been
hastily called together. When it was over I
drove home. The streets echoed to the cries
of the newsboys : —

"DISAPPEARANCE OF THE COMMANDER-IN-
CHIEF !

DISAPPEARANCE OF THE COMMANDER-IN-
CHIEF!"

That evening a new sensation was added to
the already long list when it was known
that the notorious anarchist, Luigi Ferreira,
had managed to escape from prison some
days before, and was supposed to have
crossed the Channel and to be in London.
Had I only known then that he was the man
I had seen talking so excitedly to the Countess
in the Park, a few mornings before, and that
at that very moment he was occupying a room
at Wiltshire House, as a supposed invalid,
how speedily might retribution have descended
upon him.

Unfortunately, however, I did not know !

CHAPTER VII

A~TAHE state of mind into which England
was plunged by the news of the dis-
appearance of the Commander-in-Chief cannot
be fittingly described by a pen so weak as
mine. It was not that we had lost anything
of our former courage, or that we had resigned
all hope of coming out victors in the struggle.
We were as resolved as ever to carry this
war through to the bitter end, yet the news
clanged like a death knell upon a thousand
hearts. Of my own feelings I will not speak.
That expressed by the nation voices my own.
I was sad, how sad few can guess, but despite
my sorrow I declared that the war must go
on — that the end should be reached. And
now to turn to a brighter subject.

On the Tuesday before the day I was due
to dine at Wiltshire House, I had the good
fortune to receive a visit from an old friend.
He was none other than the Duke of Rother-
hithe, the gentleman who had been obliging

173

174 ^4 Cabinet Secret

enough to convey the Countess de Venetza
and her father from Constantinople to Naples
on a certain memorable occasion, and who
was known to entertain a great admiration for
her. Having had a somewhat busy morning,
I did not reach home until after two o'clock.
I had scarcely sat down to lunch, before
Thompson, my butler, informed me that the
Duke of Rotherhithe was anxious to see
me.

" My dear fellow, this is friendly of you,"
I said, as we shook hands a few moments later.
"You are just in time for lunch. I have
only this minute commenced."

"You couldn't offer me anything better,"
he replied. " I have eaten nothing all the
morning. By Jove ! how good it is to see your
face again, old man, and what a swell you have
become, to be sure, since I saw you last
—Cabinet Minister, and I don't know what
else besides. You'll be Premier before you've
done."

" Not quite so high as that," I answered.
" I have my ambitions, I will admit, but I am
afraid that the Premiership is scarcely the one
that will be likely to be realised."

One thing was quite certain : Rotherhithe
was in the most excellent spirits. His honest,

A Cabinet Secret 175

manly face was wreathed in smiles, and had an
artist been present he might have used it for
the personification of Happiness. Throughout
the meal he laughed and joked continually,
recalled old days, old escapades, long since
forgotten on my side, and vowed that we were
both of us growing younger instead of older.
That there was something unusual about it
all I could plainly see, but what that some-
thing was I had not then the least idea.
My suspicions, however, were aroused very
soon.

" By the way," I said, when we had finished
lunch, " let me tell you that I have lately had
the pleasure to be of some service to an old
friend of yours."

" An old friend of mine ? " he said, with what
I could not help thinking was pretended
surprise. "Who is the friend?"

"The Countess de Venetza," I replied.
"The lady whose wealth and beauty have
made her such a prominent figure in London
Society of late. She told me that she had been
yachting with you in the Mediterranean, and
spoke quite feelingly of your kindness to
herself and her father. Do you mean to tell
me that you don't recollect her ? "

" Recollect her? of course I do," he said, still

i/6 A Cabinet Secret

with the same sheepish look upon his face.
" Oh yes, I remember her well enough. And
so you've been kind to her, have you ? "

Here he laughed in a foolish fashion to
himself.

" Umph ! " I said to myself, " surely he cannot
have been idiotic enough to have '

I stopped myself abruptly. I knew very
well that I should hear all the news he had to
tell quite soon enough.

At last Thompson and the men left the room,
and an expression of great solemnity took
possession of my friend's countenance. What
was more, he drew his chair a little closer to
mine.

" My dear old fellow," he said, laying his
hand on my arm, " we have been friends many
years. In point of fact I don't know of a man
whose good wishes I should so thoroughly
appreciate. By Jove, old fellow, I am the
happiest being in the world ! So happy, in
fact, that I'm dashed if I know whether I am
standing on my head or my heels ! "

" Let me reassure you then," I said dryly.
" You are standing on your heels at the present
moment.'''

"Confound your silly jokes," he said angrily.
" Any one but a Cabinet Minister would have

A Cabinet Secret 177

seen that I was speaking metaphorically. Now
I want to tell you that "

" If you are going to be confidential," I
replied, " let us adjourn to the smoking-room.
I shall give you much better attention over a
cigar, and you will doubtless prove more
eloquent."

We accordingly adjourned to the room in
question, where I produced a box of cigars,
furnished the Duke with a light, and then, when
we had seated ourselves, bade him commence
his tale. I have often noticed that when a
man who is anxious to be communicative is
invited to begin his confidences, he finds that
his stream of loquacity has dried up. It was
so in Rotherhithe's case. He hummed and
hawed, gazed very steadily at the ceiling for
some seconds, and finally rose from his chair
and began to pace the room.

"You may remember," he began in the tone
of a man addressing a public meeting, " that
you and several other of my friends have con-
tinually endeavoured to impress upon me that it
is my bounden duty, not only to myself, but to
the name I bear, to marry and settle down.
You can't grumble, therefore, if I take you at
your word."

" You couldn't do better," I said reflectively,
M

i/8 A Cabinet Secret

examining the ash of my cigar as I spoke.
"There is only one objection to the scheme so
far as I can see."

"Objection?" he cried, firing up as usual.
"What sort of objection can there be to such
a thing ? "

"It is just possible you may marry the
wrong girl," I said quietly. " You must admit
that that would be a very decided one."

" I am not likely to be such an idiot," he
returned. "What is more, I am not about
to marry a girl."

I was becoming more and more convinced
that my suspicions were correct.

" In that case, the objection is removed,"
I said. " And now let me offer you my
heartiest congratulations. I sincerely hope
you may be happy."

" But hang it all, you haven't asked me yet
who the lady is ! You might have done
that."

" If I wanted to waste time I might very
well have done it," I replied. " There is no
need, however, seeing that I already know
who she is."

" The deuce you do ! Then who is she ? "

"The Countess de Venetza," I answered,
shaking the ash of my cigar into the tray

A Cabinet Secret 179

beside me. " I had my suspicions at lunch,
and you afterwards confirmed them. I pre-
sume I am correct ? "

" Quite correct," he said in a tone of relief.
"And, by Jove, don't you think I am a lucky
man ? Isn't she simply beautiful ? "

I offered no reply to the first question. On
the second point, however, I was fortunate
enough to be in a position to reassure him.
Whatever else she might be, or might not
be, the Countess was certainly very beautiful.

" I shall have her painted by Collier," he
continued, "or another of those artist fellows.
She will be in black velvet, holding the folds
of a curtain in her hand, and I'll hang it in
the gallery at the old place, with all the
other family pictures round her. There'll not
be another there to equal her."

In my own heart I wondered what those
stately old ladies in frills and brocades would
say to the new-comer. I did not mention the
fact, however, to Rotherhithe. In his present
condition he was ready to take offence at
anything, at least where she was concerned.

"And when will the wedding take place?"
I enquired. "And where?"

"I can't quite say," he replied; "there's
such a lot to be settled first, you see. I want

i8o A Cabinet Secret

her to let it be in London, but, so far, she
hasn't given me a definite answer."

" And her respected father? What has he to
say upon the subject ? "

" Oh, he's pleased enough. I had a telegram
from him this morning. Between ourselves,
I think foreigners overdo it a bit, don't you ? "

"They certainly express their feelings some-
what more warmly than we usually do," I
said, as if in explanation of my own con-
duct ; " but in this case one feels justified in
launching out a little. Might I ask how long
you have known the lady ? "

I put the question listlessly, seeing that the
chance of my learning a little of her past
history was a poor one.

"Oh, I have known her a long time," he
answered vaguely. " We were together in
Cairo and Algiers, and other places. What
a fellow you are, to be sure, to ask questions !
Does it mean that you think "

He stopped and glared at me, but I soothed
him down.

"My dear fellow," I said, " I think nothing
at all, except that the Countess is a most
charming lady, and that you will doubtless
live a most happy life together. I am sure I
hope you may."

A Cabinet Secret 181

He looked at me queerly for a moment,
and then brought his hand down with a whack
upon my shoulder.

" By Jove ! Do you know, I believe you
have been in love with her yourself," he said.
" Now own up ! "

" It is very possible," I answered, feeling
that my only safety lay in answering as I did.
" I have been in love with her ever since I
have known her, and with all due respect to
you, I shall remain so after she has become
Her Grace the Duchess of Rotherhithe. If
you are jealous, you will have to forbid me
the house."

He laughed uproariously, his confidence
quite restored by my candour. Then, with
an assurance that I had better not let him
catch me flirting with her, he informed me
that it was time for him to be off, as he had
promised to call at Wiltshire House that after-
noon.

" One last question," I said, as we walked
towards the door, " and I mean it seriously.
What does cousin Conrad say to the arrange-
ment ? "

" I don't know what he says in the least,
and what is more I don't care," he replied, an
angry look coming into his face. "Between

1 82 A Cabinet Secret

ourselves, George, I don't like that young
fellow. I shall take care, once I am married,
that he doesn't enter my doors."

" I think you would be wise," I said, and
there the matter dropped.

When he had gone, I sat myself down to
consider the situation. It displeased me for
more reasons than one. Rotherhithe was my
old friend. I was exceedingly fond of him,
and I had no desire that his married life should
prove a failure. Yet what reason had I for
supposing that it would? It is true I had
seen a good deal of the Countess lately, but
not sufficient to be able to declare that I knew
her intimately. She was a beautiful woman,
an excellent hostess, the possessor of great
wealth, and — though beyond her father I knew
nothing of her family — evidently of gentle
blood. This much was in her favour, yet
there were other things which rankled in my
memory, and which, had I aspired to the
honour of her hand, I should have wanted
explained to me. How was it that no one
had ever heard of her before she appeared to
dazzle all London ? Was Count Reiffenburof

o

really her cousin ? Who was that mysterious
foreigner who had plainly been threatening
her on the morning that I had met her in the

A Cabinet Secret 183

Park ? And last, but not least, what was the
real story of that old tramp's entrance into
Wiltshire House on the night of the
supposed burglary?

The most alarming question, and the most
difficult of all to decide, was whether it was my
duty to say anything to Rotherhithe upon the
subject. He was, in the main, an easy-going,
happy-go-lucky fellow, not overburdened with
brains, but in every other respect a high-
minded English gentleman. Yet I knew him
well enough to feel sure that in a case like
this he would have been the first to resent—
and, looked at from his own light, quite rightly
too — any aspersion that might be thrown upon
the character of the woman he loved. That
he was in love with her there could be no
sort of doubt. One had only to look into his
face to see it. But / was also fond of him,
and if I knew there were anything hidden
from him which he ought to know, was it
not my duty, as his friend, to risk his anger,
and the possible rupture of our friendship, in
order to make him acquainted with it ?

For the remainder of the day I debated this
question seriously with myself, but try how I
would I was quite unable to arrive at a satis-
factory decision regarding it. This much,

184 A Cabinet Secret

however, I did do — common politeness de-
manded it of me : I sat down and wrote a
note of congratulation to the Countess. Though
I knew in my heart it was a somewhat traitor-
ous proceeding, yet, when the note had been
despatched, I must confess I felt easier in my
mind. A twinge of conscience, however, still
remained to plague me. If only I had not
taken the walk that night, or if only I had
been too late to see the old man enter the
house, I should have been able to regard the
whole affair, if not with pleasure, at least with
a measure of equanimity. Now, however, it
was otherwise.

Next morning a charming little note arrived
from the Countess, thanking me for my good
wishes, and referring to herself as one of the
most fortunate women in the world. As a
letter it was delightful ; as an expression of
the writer's true feelings, well — I was not
quite so satisfied as to its genuineness.
Charming though the lady undeniably was,
and sympathetic to an eminent degree, I found
it extremely difficult to imagine her in love.
If by chance she were so, however, Rotherhithe
was certainly the last man whom it would have
been with. The news of his engagement had
caused quite a stir, even at that time of almost

A Cabinet Secret 185

daily sensations, in the fashionable world.
In consequence of it, however, those who had
hitherto been inclined to hold a little aloof
from her, as one whose antecedents were
not sufficiently well known to warrant the
intimacy, now that the Duke had, so to speak,
stood sponsor for her, were prepared to admit
her into their inmost circle.

As for Rotherhithe he conducted himself like
an amiable lunatic, frequented Wiltshire House
to an extent that almost bordered on the in-
decent, and was making plans for the future with
the impetuous recklessness of a fifteen- year-old
schoolboy. His beautiful home in the Midlands
was to be prepared for occupation, a new yacht
was to be built that would be the finest of her
kind, while Rotherhithe House, in London,
was to be refurnished and decorated through-
out. Altogether, as somebody said, the Duke's
love-affair would be likely to prove the costliest
hobby he had indulged in since his majority.
But as I have said before, if he desired to
marry the Countess, and was convinced that
his happiness lay in that direction, it was no
business of mine to contradict him.

From the tone I have adopted in speaking of
this matter it may be surmised that I was jealous
of Rotherhithe's success. Allow me to assure

1 86 A Cabinet Secret

you, most emphatically, that such was not the
case. I am quite prepared to admit that I
admired the Countess, as not only a beautiful,
but also an exceedingly clever woman. As
I have once or twice remarked, however, I
am a confirmed bachelor, and I do not think
it would be in the power of the fairest
daughter of Eve to induce me to change my
state.

It was in this frame of mind that I entered
the portals of Wiltshire House on the evening
of the Countess's dinner. In some ways my
interest had departed from it. I was merely
a looker-on at a game which was being
extremely well played, and, knowing some-
thing of the rules by which it is governed,
I was able to appreciate the importance of
the various moves, while being in no way
dependent upon their skill.

The Countess, looking like the Queen of
Beauty, received me in the drawing-room.
Rotherhithe had already arrived, and, as was
plainly to be seen, was ensconced on the
summit of happiness.

" I am glad you should be the first to
arrive," she said, as if her fianct counted for
nothing, "and, while I have the opportunity,
I must thank you once more for your charming

A Cabinet Secret 187

letter, and for the kindly sentiments it ex-
pressed."

" It was awfully nice of you, by Jove ! " put
in the Duke, and then added with boyish
na'ivetd : " Manderville always knows how to
do and say the right thing. He's a past
master of tact."

I happened to be looking at the Countess's
face as he said it, and if — as I feel sure I did —
I read it correctly, it spoke volumes.

"She does not care about him an atom," I
said to myself; and then I added, "if that's
so, God help my poor old friend ! "

A few moments later, when we were
nearly at the end of our stock of common-
places, the other guests arrived. So far as
they were concerned, the dinner was likely
to prove a success. Besides the Countess,
Rotherhithe, and myself, there was Lady
Deeceford, who, besides being one of the
prettiest women in England, is also one of
the wittiest ; Deeceford himself, who had just
returned from the Pamirs, and who, while
being one of the geographical lions of the
day, was also a well-informed man of the
world ; Montague Wordley, the dramatist,
whose wit was a puzzle, even to himself ;
and pretty Mrs Van Hoden, the American

1 88 A Cabinet Secret

actress, famous alike for her beauty and her
talent. These, with Lady Susan Pedthorpe,
whose powers are too well known to need
description, completed the list.

The honour of escorting our hostess into
dinner was given to me, while Rotherhithe
gave his arm to Lady Deeceford ; the latter's
husband took Lady Susan ; Wordley, Mrs
Van Hoden. To attempt a description of
the meal to which we sat down would be
impossible ; let it suffice that it was unique
in every sense of the word. Looking back
over a period of more years than I care to
think about, I am unable to recall one enter-
tainment that in any way equalled it. The
whole thing was original from end to end.
The earth seemed to have been ransacked
for our delectation. The wines were of the
choicest vintages, and the waiting was all
that could be desired. By reason, I suppose,
of what followed later, every detail of the
entertainment is ' indelibly impressed upon
my memory. I can recall the smallest items
connected with it. The Countess's Southern
beauty, Rotherhithe's jovial countenance, Mrs
Van Hoden's rippling laugh, the perfect
modulation of Lady Susan's voice, even the
glitter of a splendid sapphire on one of Lady

A Cabinet Secret 189

Deeceford's shapely fingers, are as deeply
engraved upon my memory as if it were
but yesterday. One thing, I must confess,
surprised me, while at the same time it
added to my pleasure. That was the absence
of our hostess's cousin, Reiffenburg. Unable
to account for it, I was later on induced to
enquire after him.

"He has gone into the country," she re-
plied. "He has heard of some shooting
that would appear to be perfection, and he
has gone to prove it. Conrad is rapidly
becoming Anglicized."

"Consequently, discovering a fine day, he
enquires what he shall kill," I put in.

" That pleasant illusion, I fear, is fast
passing away," said Deeceford from across
the table. "With the abolition of bull-bait-
ing, badger-drawing, cock-fighting, and similar
sports, the old order has changed. Fox-
hunting is deteriorating before the steady
advance of barbed wire ; deer-hunting is de-
clared to be an inhuman sport, while pigeon-
shooting is fast becoming a purely mechanical
performance, played with an inverted saucer
and a spring."

The conversation drifted into another channel,
and after that nothing more was said about the

190 A Cabinet Secret

Count Von Reiffenburg's absence. Personally,
I could not help feeling sure that the reason
the Countess had advanced to account for it
was far from being the correct one. As I
have said elsewhere, I had long ago arrived at
the conclusion that the young man entertained
a more than cousinly regard for the lady ;
his absence from the dinner, therefore, was
merely an arrangement to ensure his not
meeting his more successful rival. The en-
gagement by this time was known throughout
London, so that I was only voicing a popular
sentiment, at desert, when I proposed the
health and happiness of the affianced pair.
The Countess murmured her thanks, while
Rotherhithe declared that it was jolly good
of us to wish them luck, and, by way of
adding to the general cheerfulness, hoped
that we should all be as friendly after his
marriage as we had been before. Then the
ladies left the room.

Half an hour later we joined them in the
drawing-room, where I was fortunate enough
to be able to induce the Countess to play
to us. She complied without hesitation,
and, if the truth must be told, her
music was to me the greatest pleasure I
received that evening. As I listened to her,

A Cabinet Secret 191

I could not help recalling that memorable
afternoon when she had played to me before.
After she had finished, a famous musician,
then in London, and whom she had induced
to come to her house, played to us superbly.
To me, however, his performance was in-
sipidity itself compared with that to which
I had just listened. At a quarter to twelve
the various carriages were announced, and
the guests departed until only Rotherhithe
and I were left.

"Well, Sir George," said the Countess, as
she stood before the fire-place, one dainty
hand up on the mantel - piece and a pretty
foot resting upon the brass bar of the
fender, "I hope I have succeeded in de-
monstrating to you the fact that, even at
the close of the Nineteenth Century, it is
possible to' be original in one of the most
prosaic actions of life."

"You have certainly given us a delightful
proof," I answered. "When my turn arrives,
I fear I shall find it difficult to equal, much
less to eclipse, your effort."

" I thought nothing was impossible to a
Cabinet Minister, "put in Rotherhithe, who had,
of course, been informed of our rivalry. " We
shall look forward to seeing what you can do."

192 A Cabinet Secret

" I fear you will be disappointed in the
result," I replied. "And now I must be
going. Good-night, Countess. When I say
that you have eclipsed even yourself to-night,
I cannot pay you a greater compliment."

"Praise from Sir George Manderville is
praise indeed," she quoted demurely. Then
she added with gracious kindness — " Good-
night."

I held out my hand to Rotherhithe, but he
did not take it.

" Look here, George," he said, " if you are
willing to walk home, I'll tell you what I'll
do — I'll come with you. Broughams are not
much in my line. If we walk we can smoke
a cigar together."

I would far rather have gone home by
myself, but it was impossible to put Rother-
hithe off. I accordingly consented, though
I knew very well what the result would be.
Being anxious to leave them alone for a
moment, I strolled into the hall, where Rother-
hithe presently joined me. We donned our
hats and coats and set off, my shadow picking
me up at the foot of the steps according to
custom.

"Well, old fellow," said Rotherhithe, slip-
ping his arm through mine after we had turned

A Cabinet Secret 193

the corner, "what do you think of her? Isn't
she simply perfect? Don't you think I'm the
luckiest fellow on earth?"

" Three questions in one breath," I said ;
"how on earth do you expect me to answer
them ? Of course you're a lucky fellow, and
of course we all envy you your happiness."
Then, with an air of seriousness, I continued,
" I suppose, Rotherhithe, you are quite con-
vinced that she is the one woman in the
world for you ? "

"Convinced?" he replied, with a short laugh
at the absurdity of the question, "of course,
I am convinced. Why, my dear old chap,
if I were to hunt the whole world over, I
shouldn't find her equal. You've no idea
how good she is. What's more, do you know,
she's the soul of caution. She's got what

o

I lack — the business instinct."

"Indeed!" I said, for this side of the
Countess's character had never been revealed
to me. " So she is business-like, is she ? "

" I should think she is. Why, when I
spoke to her of what I thought of doing
at Rotherhithe House, that is to say, of
pulling a lot of it down, you know, and
rebuilding it, to say nothing of redecorating
and refurnishing it throughout, she wouldn't

N

194 <d Cabinet Secret

hear of it. ' Wait,' she said, ' and let us
see how we like it. It will be quite time
enough when we have been married a few
years to think of making changes in what
has served so long."

"A very sensible remark too," I replied.
" I am glad she is not going to lead you
into useless expenditure. It's no business of
mine, I know, but that collet of diamonds
must have cost a fortune ? "

"Thirty thousand pounds," he answered.
" But it's worth every penny of it to see it round
her neck. She is passionately fond of diamonds.
They are the only stones she cares for."

Decidedly I began to think the Countess
was a business woman. Had I aspired to
the honour of her hand, she would perforce
have had to be content with a single string
of pearls. Collets of diamonds, costing thirty
thousand pounds, are the peculiar gifts of
millionaires. Now Rotherhithe, I knew, while
a rich man, was far from being overburdened
with money. I wished that he had not done
it, though why I should have done so, it
would have puzzled me to say.

When we reached my house, I invited him
to accompany me inside; he would not hear
of it, however.

A Cabinet Secret 195

" No," he said, " I'll be getting home
now ; late hours don't agree with me. But
before we part, old friend, there's one thing
I want to say to you. I'm going to make
a rather big settlement on my wife that is
to be, and I want to know if you have any
objection to my putting you down as one of
the trustees ? If you could manage it, I should
be more than grateful to you. Should any-
thing happen to me, there is nobody else I
know who would look after her interests so
well."

I scarcely knew what answer to make. The
proposal was one that did not commend itself
to me for several reasons. But what objection
could I raise to it ? I was his friend, and pre-
sumably hers also. It would be only natural
that he should ask me, and, in the ordinary
course of things, it would be only natural that
I should accept. For some vague reason,
however, events seemed to be moving outside
the ordinary course of things, so I determined
not to give him an answer then.

" Don't disappoint me, there's a good
fellow," he went on. "You can have no idea
what importance I attach to your acceptance
of the position."

" Let me have until to-morrow morning to

196 A Cabinet Secret

decide," I replied. " It is not my habit, as you
are aware, to do anything in a hurry, and I should
like to think it over before giving my consent.
There are many things to be considered. You
may be sure, however, that if I can possibly
convince myself that I shall be really serving
your interest and hers by acceding to your re-
quest, that I shall do so. If I did not think so,
I should ask you to find some one else at once,
and trust to our old friendship to make you
believe that I am right."

"Very good, then, we will leave it like that,
and you shall give me an answer to-morrow.
And now good-night, George. You may not
think so, but this has been the happiest even-
ing of my life." Here we shook hands.

" Let us hope," I said, " that this is only
the beginning of your happiness. You will
possess a wife of whom you are sure to be
proud ; you have rank, wealth, and innumer-
able friends. What more could any man
desire ? Good-night ! "

He waved his hand to me in farewell, and
then set off down the street. When he had
disappeared, I beckoned my shadow to me,
and bade him good-night also. Then I, in
my turn, retired from the world.

Not feeling in the humour for bed, I went

A Cabinet Secret 197

to my study and, contrary to my usual
habit, lit another cigar. I had a variety of
papers to look through, so I seated myself
in a comfortable chair and set to work to
peruse them. It was a useless endeavour,
however, for try how I would to rivet my atten-
tion upon them, I found my thoughts reverting
continually to the entertainment I had been
present at that evening. For more than an
hour I remained in my study, then, feeling that
I should be better in bed, I went upstairs. I
had scarcely reached my dressing-room, how-
ever, before the sound of a bell reached my
ears. A few minutes later there was a tap
upon the door, and Williams entered with a
note. I took it from him, and looked first at
the address and then at the back. Greatly to
my surprise I found that it was from Rotherhithe,
to whom I had said good-bye on the pavement
outside the house an hour or so before. The
contents ran as follows : —

DEAR GEORGE, — Something terrible has happened.
For the sake of our old friendship I implore you to
come to me at once. I am sending my carriage to
fetch you. For Heaven's sake don't delay a moment
longer than you can help. Ever your friend,

ROTHERHITHE.
What on earth could be the matter ? I asked

198 A Cabinet Secret

myself. Had the Countess changed her mind
or had Rotherhithe met with an accident ?
Not knowing what might be asked of me, I
changed my dress clothes for a morning suit
as quickly as possible, informed Williams of
the fact that I was going to Rotherhithe
House, and then descended the stairs.

A brougham with servants in the well-
known Rotherhithe livery, was drawn up
beside the pavement, and in it I took my
place. The door was then closed and we set
off.

CHAPTER VIII

A S the brougham sped on its way through
the almost deserted streets, I sat and
wondered as to what it could have been that
had induced Rotherhithe to send such an
urgent message to me. That something
serious had happened I had not the least
doubt, for the Duke was a self-reliant man,
and at no time given to the display of emotion.
Taking the letter from my pocket again, I
endeavoured to read it by the light of the
lamps we passed, but it was impossible. The
fear that underlay everything was that Count
Conrad had returned to town, had met Rother-
hithe, and that there had been trouble between
them.

After we had been driving for something
like five minutes, a most curious thing hap-
pened. I was trying to make out an object in
the street through which we were passing,
when suddenly I found myself in total dark-

190

2oo A Cabinet Secret

ness. Putting my hand up to the right-hand
window to see what had occasioned it, I found
that a sheet of iron had interposed itself
between me and the glass. The same thing
had happened in front and on the opposite side,
though how it had been arranged, I could not
for the life of me discover. Then I tried
the doors, but the handles refused to turn. I
felt that I was trapped indeed, and to make
matters worse, a villainous smell of gas was
fast taking possession of the carriage. I
shouted for assistance with all the strength of
my lungs, but no help came. I tried to force
the panels of the carriage, but it was a useless
endeavour. Still the sickening smell of gas
increased, until I felt that, unless I could get
into the fresh air without delay, I should be
suffocated — as a matter of fact my senses were
already leaving me. Was this how Woller
and Castellan had died? I asked myself, for
in my own heart I felt that my last hour had
come. Scarcely conscious of what I was
doing, I believe I stood up and struggled with
the door, but with as little success as before.
Then I fell back upon the cushions and be-
came oblivious to everything.

A Cabinet Secret 201

How long I remained in this condition I
cannot say ; I only know that my next waking
thought was the realisation of a spasm of
acute pain. It was as if every muscle of my
body were being drawn by red-hot pincers.
My brain whirred as though to the rattle of a
thousand pieces of machinery, while an in-
describable nausea held me in its grip. I
could not have lifted my head, or have opened
my eyes, had my life depended upon my doing
so. For what seemed an interminable time, I
lay like this, totally unconscious of my sur-
roundings, and, indeed, of everything else save
my agony. After a time, however, my senses
began to return to me, and I was able to
reduce my thoughts to something like order.

At first I had no recollection of what had
transpired since I had left home, but little by
little it all came back to me. I recalled the
letter I had received from Rotherhithe, and the
haste with which I had complied with the
summons it contained. I remembered the
drive through the lamp-lit streets, the sudden
darkness that had descended upon me, the
overpowering smell of gas, and the sensation,
which I could compare to nothing, save that

2O2 A Cabinet Secret

of approaching death, which I had experienced
when I fell back upon the street.

At last I opened my eyes and looked about
me. Had I found myself in a vault, I doubt
whether I should have been more surprised.
As it was, my astonishment was the greater at
rinding myself in a comfortable bed- room, not
very large, it is true, but cheerful to an
eminent degree. The furniture was useful,
but not luxurious ; it consisted of a wash-
hand stand, a chest of drawers, a toilet
table, two chairs, and the bed upon which I
was lying. There were also two pictures,
I remember; one, of German origin, in
colours, represented the sale of Joseph to the
Ishmaelites, and the other, a print of Exeter
Cathedral, in which the fa$ade of that fine
building was entirely out of the drawing.
There was a fire-place, but no fender ; a sky-
light, but no other window. A strip of Dutch
matting covered the floor on the left-hand side
of the bed, and when I have recorded that
fact, I think I have given you a description of
everything in the room.

As for myself, when I had taken these
things in, I closed my eyes and tried to rest.

A Cabinet Secret 203

The clang and whir still echoed in my brain,
and when I endeavoured to lift my head I
discovered that I was as weak as a baby.
Though I tried hard to arrive at an under-
standing of the situation, the attempt was far
from being a successful one.

That I was the victim of that same
mysterious power which had abducted Woller,
Castellan and the Commander-in-Chief, I had
not the least doubt ; but if they had taken
me off, where was I now, and what were they
going to do with me ? Was I to be retained
as a perpetual prisoner, or were they only
keeping me until a good opportunity presented
itself for doing away with me ? Either theory,
as I think you will agree, was of a nature calcu-
lated to render me sufficiently uncomfortable.

After a time I must have fallen asleep
again, for I remember opening my eyes and
feeling much stronger than when I first woke.
What was more, I was also conscious of a
decided sensation of hunger. From the
waning light in my room, I gathered that the
day was far advanced, and I groaned aloud
as I thought of the trouble my absence must
be causing my friends. It seemed to me I

2O4 -d Cabinet Secret

could hear the cries of the newsboys in the
streets as they shouted : —

" DISAPPEARANCE OF ANOTHER CABINET
MINISTER ! "

"SIR GEORGE MANDERVILLE MISSING!"

I could picture the anxiety of my own
household, and Rotherhithe's anger when he
discovered, as discover he certainly would,
the use that had been made of his name.
Then an overwhelming desire to find out
something concerning my whereabouts took
possession of me, and I rose from the bed
upon which I had hitherto been lying. As
I did so a handful of money fell from my
pocket. Instinctively, I felt for my watch ;
it was still in its accustomed place. It was
certain, therefore, that robbery had no part
in the business.

With tottering steps I approached the door,
only to find, as I expected, that it was locked.
I looked at the skylight above my head and
reflected that by placing a chair on the chest
of drawers it might be possible to reach it ;
in my present weak state, however, such a

A Cabinet Secret 205

feat was out of the question. Even this brief
inspection of my surroundings taxed my
strength severely, and I accordingly once
more laid myself down to rest.

I had one source of comfort, however.
Captive though I was, I should at least be
able to solve a problem which the great world
had given up as hopeless. In other words I
should be able to fathom the mystery that sur-
rounded the disappearance of General Woller,
of the Colonial Secretary, and also of the
Commander-in-Chief. I should know some-
thing of the members of that power which
had for so long a time past been exercising
its malignant influence upon England. The
unfortunate part of it was that when I had
obtained the knowledge it would be of no
use to me.

All this time the feeling of hunger, to which
I have already alluded, was gradually growing
stronger ; imprisonment was bad enough in
its way, but imprisonment combined with
starvation was intolerable. Unable at last
to bear it any longer, I rose from my bed,
and beat upon the door with my fists in the
hope of attracting attention. Loud, however,

206 A Cabinet Secret

as was the noise I made, it elicited no response.
The house might have been deserted for all
the answer I received. I beat upon the
panels again and again, continuing my efforts
until I was exhausted. Still no attention re-
warded me. At last, tired out by my efforts,
I returned to my bed and sat down upon it.
I had scarcely done so, before the sound of
footsteps in the corridor on the other side of
the door reached my ears. A key was placed
in the lock and turned, the door opened, and
a man entered the room.

It would be difficult for me to express the
surprise I felt at seeing him. You will be in
a position to realize something of my feelings,
when I say that the man before me was no
less a person than the impoverished music-
master I had seen appealing to the Countess
de Venetza in the Park, and whom I had
offered to help. That I was not deceived I
was quite certain. I should have known him
anywhere by reason of his extraordinary dark
eyes and hair.

"Good afternoon, monsieur," he said in
French, with an assurance that showed me he
was aware of my familiarity with that language.

A Cabinet Secret 207

"What may I have the pleasure of doing for

^ "
your

His calm insolence surprised me. I had
expected rough treatment, possibly abuse ; to
be a prisoner and yet to be treated with such
elaborate politeness was not at all what I had
pictured for my portion.

" I desire to be set at liberty at once," I
replied, with as much firmness as I could
muster up. "If you have had a hand in this
business, which it seems only right to suppose,
let me inform you that it is likely to prove an
expensive amusement for you. What treatment
you may afterwards receive at my hands will
be estimated by the expedition you show in
releasing me."

" I sincerely trust, monsieur, that no violence
has been used towards you," he said. " The
instructions were merely to bring you here with
as little inconvenience to yourself as possible.
You may rest assured that if those instructions
have not been complied with, the offenders will
be punished. In the meantime, perhaps it is
possible that I can be of some service to
you ? "

" You can provide me with food," I answered

208 A Cabinet Secret

angrily; "and, since my watch has stopped,
perhaps you will be good enough to tell me the
time."

" I will do so with pleasure," he said. "If
Monsieur will permit me, I will arrange that
dinner shall be served at once ; at the same
time I will inform him as to the state of the
clock."

Having said this he bowed and left me.

Ten minutes or so later I again caught the
sound of footsteps in the corridor, the key was
turned in the lock, and the door opened. This
time he carried in his hand a tray, upon which
were set out the various necessaries for a
meal. He laid the table in silence, and then
again withdrew. When next he returned
he brought with him a number of covered
dishes, and, what was more, an ice-bucket, in
which stood a bottle of champagne.

" I trust Monsieur will find everything to his
satisfaction," he said, as he removed the covers.
"If the cooking is not exactly what Monsieur
has a right to expect, perhaps he will remember
the inconveniences under which we are labour-
ing. Should he need anything further, there
is a bell, which Monsieur has not noticed,

A Cabinet Secret 209

beside the fire-place, and the summons will be
instantly obeyed."

" But, my good fellow," I cried, "this sort of
thing is all very well in its way, you know,
but "

" If Monsieur will take my advice, he will
dine before his food gets cold," the man replied.
" The kitchen is in the basement ; the viands
have, therefore, been already some time upon
the road."

I saw that it was useless to argue, or to
attempt to extract any information from him.
I accordingly allowed him to bow himself out
without further words. When he had gone,
and the door had been locked behind him, I
approached the table and lifted the covers.
On the first dish was a pheasant roasted to a
nicety ; the potato chips were exquisitely crisp,
the bread-crumbs just what they should be.

"It is very evident that they do not intend
to starve me," I said to myself as I drew up my
chair. "If ever I get out of this mess, what a
tale I shall have to tell ! Last night the guest
of the Countess de Venetza at Wiltshire House :
to-night the guest of well, of whom ? Can

it be possible that this is the head-quarters of a

o

2io A Cabinet Secret

secret society, and that my unfortunate friends
are concealed in it?"

This should have afforded me food for
reflection, but, strangely enough, it did not
interfere with my enjoyment of the meal.
I could not remember ever to have tasted so
delicious a bird. Never before had I drunk
champagne with such a keen appreciation of its
delicacy. When at last I put down my knife
and fork I was a different man, and was able
to look my affairs in the face with a greater
amount of equanimity than I had yet felt.

By this time night was drawing in and very
soon it would be dark. I accordingly rang my
bell in order that the table might be cleared.
The summons was answered with a sufficient
promptness to suggest the idea that the man
who had brought the meal to me had been
waiting outside.

" I trust his dinner has been to Monsieur's
satisfaction," he said, as he placed the various
articles upon the tray.

" Upon that score I have no fault to find,"
I replied. " And now perhaps you will be
kind enough to let me have a little talk with
you?"

A Cabinet Secret 2 1 1

"It will give me the greatest pleasure to
talk with Monsieur, provided he does not
touch upon forbidden subjects," he answered.
" Should he do that, my lips will be im-
mediately sealed."

" I have yet to find out what those forbidden
subjects are," I said, affecting a coolness I was
far from feeling. " I presume you mean with
regard to my detention here ? "

" Exactly," he replied. " It is with regard
to the reason for the detention of Monsieur
that I am unable to speak with him."

" I know how I got here," I returned.
"What I want to know is, who brought me,
and what is to be done with me ? "
He only shook his head.
" My lips are sealed. I must beg that
Monsieur will put no further questions to me
upon this matter."

Seeing that it was useless to do so, I com-
plied with his request, contenting myself by
asking him if it would be possible to procure
me a lamp and a book. He replied to the
effect that it would give him the greatest
pleasure, and once more left the room, as
usual taking care to lock the door behind him.

212 A Cabinet Secret

Presently he returned, carrying a lamp in one
hand, and in the other half a dozen books,
which he placed upon the table.

" I fear our stock of literature is not ex-
tensive," he said. " Doubtless, however,
Monsieur will find something here to interest
him. Should he require anything further,
perhaps he will ring the bell. Our desire, as I
said before, is to do all that we can to ensure
Monsieur's comfort."

" But not his happiness," I replied; "other-
wise he would scarcely be here."

" Once more I must remind Monsieur that
we are treading upon dangerous ground," he
said.

Without another word he bade me good-
night, and left me to derive what amusement
and instruction I could from the collection of
books he had placed upon the table.

They were, in truth, a motley assortment,
comprising two volumes of sermons by a Divine
who had flourished at the commencement of
the century, a book of poems by a lady of whom
I had never heard, " Caesar's Commentaries" in
the original, and the second volume of " Pride
and Prejudice," with the label of a seaside

A Cabinet Secret 213

circulating library upon the cover. I chose
the last-named for preference, and not
having read it before, and knowing nothing
of what had taken place in the previous
chapters, endeavoured to interest myself in it.
The result, however, scarcely justified the
labour. Heaven forbid that I should belittle
a work that has given pleasure to so many
thousands, but that night I was not only un-
able to derive any satisfaction from it, but
found that it produced a feeling that might
almost be described as one of prolonged be-
wilderment. After a time I exchanged it for
one of the volumes of sermons, only to be
equally bemused. The worthy divine's style
was, if I may so express it, of the bigoted, yet
argumentative, order. Never before had my
own spiritual outlook appeared so ominous. I
could plainly see that I had nothing to hope
for in my present or future state. Almost in
fear I closed the book and placed it with its
fellows. Then I rose from my seat, and
crossed to the door and examined it. It was
as securely fastened as before.

Not a sound reached me from the other
portions of the house ; so quiet indeed was it,

214 ^ Cabinet Secret

that had I not had evidence to the contrary, I
could have believed myself its sole occupant.
Having convinced myself that I was not likely
to be disturbed, and making as little noise as
possible, I placed one of the chairs upon the
chest of drawers. By standing upon the latter
I found that I was just able to reach the sky-
light. I tried to open it, but a few attempts
were sufficient to show me that it had been
made secure from the outside, doubtless in
preparation for my coming. So far, therefore,
as that exit was concerned, my escape was
hopeless. Bitterly disappointed, I descended
from my perch, and pushed the table back to
its original position in the corner. It looked
as if I were destined to remain a prisoner. In
a very dejected state of mind I threw myself
upon the bed, and it is not to be wondered at
if my dreams that night were of a disturbed
and depressing condition.

Punctual to the stroke of eight o'clock my
gaoler entered the room, bringing with him
the various articles necessary for my toilet.

" In case Monsieur would like to see what
the world thinks of his disappearance," said the
man, with his usual politeness, " I have brought

A Cabinet Secret 215

copies of several of the morning papers. Mon-
sieur will see that it has caused quite a sensa-
tion in England."

He said this with such respect and civility
that had a stranger who was not aware of the
real state of the case been present, he would
have found it difficult to believe that the man
was in any way concerned in the affair.

I am inclined to think that an experience
such as mine has never befallen another man.
Here I was in captivity — if not in the heart
of London, at any rate in one of her Suburbs —
sitting down to peruse, in cold blood, a news-
paper account of my own abduction. The
first I picked up recorded the fact that I had
been present at a dinner at Wiltshire House,
on the previous evening, and that I had re-
turned to my own abode afterwards. My
servant, Williams, had given evidence as to
the receipt of a note by me, which purported
to have been written by the Duke of Rother-
hithe. In it the latter asked me to come to
him at once. "His Grace sent one of his
carriages," Williams remarked in conclusion,
"and when my master got into it, that was the
last I saw of him." Then came Rotherhithe's

216 A Cabinet Secret

vehement declaration that the letter was a
forgery, and his most positive assertion, cor-
roborated by his head coachman, that not one
of his horses or carriages had left the stables
after his return from Wiltshire House. "The
fact therefore remains," said the writer, at the
termination of his article, "that the disappear-
ance of Sir George Manderville must be rele-
gated to that catalogue of inexplicable crimes,
to which so many of our foremost men have
fallen victims of late."

The reports in the other papers were, for
the most part, couched in similar language.

As soon as I was dressed, my breakfast was
brought to me, but while I had no fault to
find with the cooking, I scarcely touched it.
I was turning over in my mind a scheme for
making my escape, which had suddenly oc-
curred to me, and which, I could not help
thinking, possessed a considerable chance of
being successful. What was to prevent my
springing upon my gaoler when he next
entered the room, overpowering him, and
then rushing out ? Even if I did not succeed
in getting away from the house, I might at
least be able to attract the attention of people

A Cabinet Secret 217

in the street, and thus be able to induce them
to communicate with the Authorities. The idea
seemed feasible enough, but I had not only
to remember that my keeper was a muscular
fellow, but that he would be fighting for what
he knew to be a desperate cause. So far as
strength went, however, I felt convinced I
was his equal. Besides, I should have the
advantage of taking him off his guard, which
would be many points in my favour. At any
rate I was prepared to try. This settled, the
next thing to be decided was when would be
the best time to put the plan into execution.
Should I make the attempt when he returned
to take away my breakfast things, or at mid-
day when he brought my lunch ? To do so
at night would, I knew, be useless, since there
would not be so many passers-by, and if the
windows were dark — and I had every reason
to suppose they would be — I should stand but
little chance of being seen, and the raison ddtre
of the whole affair would be gone. At last,
on the principle that there is no time like the
present, I determined to strike while the iron
was hot, and to tackle him when he next
entered the room. I made my plans accordingly.

2i8 A Cabinet Secret

In order to reach the table at the further
end of the room, it would be necessary for
him to go round at the foot of the bed. It was
while he was there that the attempt must be
made. Having got him down, I would en-
deavour to take the key from him and reach
the door before he could sound the alarm or
get upon his feet again. After that I must act
as circumstances dictated. On this occasion he
was somewhat more dilatory than usual. At
last, however, I heard his footsteps in the
corridor outside, then the key was inserted in
the lock, and a moment later he had entered
the room.

Having closed the door behind him, he passed
round the bed on his way to the table. My
heart by this time was beating so furiously
that it seemed impossible that he could fail
to hear it. I had been careful to observe
in which pocket he placed his key, for I
knew that upon my finding that all my hopes
depended. An hour seemed to have elapsed
before he was bending over the table, engaged
in collecting the various articles upon it. On
this particular occasion he was in a somewhat
more taciturn mood than usual, a fact for

A Cabinet Secret 219

which I was not altogether sorry, for had
he addressed me, my nervousness must surely
have aroused his suspicions.

At last the moment for action arrived, and
I rose from my seat upon the bed. I had
scarcely taken a step forward, however, before
he turned, and, divining my intentions, pre-
pared to receive me. This was more than
I had bargained for, but I had gone too far
to turn back. He muttered something in
Italian which I did not catch, then I was
upon him, had caught him by the throat, and
the struggle had commenced.

As a youngster I had won some little
notoriety among my companions as a wrestler.
The tricks I had learnt then stood me in
good stead now. The man, as I have said,
was muscular and heavy, but I soon found that
I was quite his match. We rocked to and
fro, turned over a chair, and on several occa-
sions came perilously near the table. So tight
was my grip upon his throat that, though he
made two or three attempts, it was impos-
sible for him to give the alarm. How it was
that the noise we made did not attract the
attention of the other inmates of the house,

22O A Cabinet Secret

I am at a loss to understand. Little by little
I began to get the upper hand of him. Then
putting forth all my strength, and bringing
into play a certain trick that had been an
especial favourite in younger days, I threw
him heavily backwards. The ruse was a com-
plete success, and so violent was the fall, and
with such force did his head strike the floor,
that he lay insensible.

As soon as I had recovered my own equi-
librium, I knelt beside him and searched his
pocket for the key. Having obtained it, I went
to the door, unlocked it, and got into the passage
outside. One glance was sufficient to show me
that the house was of the typical suburban
pattern : reception-rooms on the ground floor,
bed-rooms on the next, and servants' quarters
under the roof. My room was at the top of the
house, and probably had once been a house-
maid's apartment.

Once in the corridor I paused, to lock the
door, thus making my captor doubly secure,
after which I made my way towards a door
at the further end of the passage, to find it
locked. I tried another with the same result,
after which only one remained. Turning the

A Cabinet Secret 221

handle of this I entered, to discover that
the window of the room looked over the
back, upon a long strip of garden, at the end
of which were some high trees — limes if I
remember correctly. Escape from the house
by this room was plainly impossible. There
was nothing for it, therefore, but for me to
descend the stairs and try my fortune else-
where. If the rest of my gaolers were not
aware that the man who waited upon me was
prisoner in my room, it was within the bounds
of possibility, I argued, that they might mistake
my step for his.

Accordingly, I wasted no time, but descended
the stairs, keeping a sharp look-out over the
banisters as I did so. I had reached the next
floor in safety and was preparing to descend to
that below, when the sound of a door being
closed in the basement caused me to hesitate.
It was followed by a man's laugh, and a moment
later, some one, who I could not see, began to
ascend the stairs. In another second he would
have turned the corner and have seen me.
I can assure you it was' one of the most anxious
moments of my life. To go on was impossible;
to go back more dangerous still. I had only

222 A Cabinet Secret

two seconds' grace in which to act, but which
door should I choose? Having selected that
immediately opposite me, I softly turned the
handle and entered the room — to make a dis-
covery which for a moment deprived me not
only of the power of locomotion, but even of
thought. My readers will appreciate this when
I say that, standing beside the fireplace, with
one elbow resting on the mantel-piece, and
a cigarette between his lips, was no less a
person than Conrad Reiffenburg ; while seated
in a comfortable chair, her dainty feet resting
on the brass fender before her, was his cousin,
the Countess de Venetza !

" So you have managed to escape from your
room, have you ? " said Conrad with the utmost
coolness, and without any apparent surprise.
"I wonder how you did that?"

" You here ? " I said, addressing the Countess,
and disregarding him altogether. " What on
earth does this mean ? Have I gone mad ? "

She was quite equal to the emergency.
There was not a tremor in her voice when
she replied.

"Not at all mad, my dear Sir George. It
simply means that you have to thank me for

A Cabinet Secret 223

saving you from a terrible death. Quite by
chance I became aware that there was an
anarchist plot in preparation against yourself
and certain other members of your Government.
To have revealed my knowledge to the Author-
ities would have been to implicate several of
my dear, but misguided, friends, while to have
appealed to them for mercy would have been
as useless as it would have been dangerous.
I therefore took what I deemed the next best
course, and removed you out of the reach of
harm."

"Can this be true?" I asked, for the whole
thing seemed too wildly improbable.

"You surely would not doubt the Countess's
word," Conrad put in.

I paid no attention to him, however.

" But if there was a plot against me, why did
you not warn me ? " I continued. " I could then
have taken steps to insure my own safety."

"Impossible," she replied. "You would
have communicated with the Police at once.
No, the only thing was to act as we did, and
I think, since you are still alive, that you have
every reason to be thankful that we adopted
such prompt measures,"

224 ^ Cabinet Secret

I remembered the precautions that had been
taken to prevent my leaving the brougham,
and the peculiar smell of gas which had caused
me to lose consciousness. No ; I felt con-
vinced in my own mind that the story the
Countess had told me was pure fiction — that is
to say, so far as any desire went to save me
from harm. However, I was wise enough to
control myself, and to appear to credit her
assertion.

" And now that the danger is over, when
shall I be at liberty to go into the world
again ? " I asked.

" To-night your freedom shall be restored
to you," she answered. " I have every reason
to suppose that you will be quite safe now."

This was agreeable news indeed, if only
I might credit it. But by this time my suspi-
cions were so thoroughly aroused, that I did
not feel inclined to trust anybody.

What was I to do ? I had no desire to
return to my prison, yet if I ran to the window,
there was still a long strip of garden between
the house and the street, and it was likely
that my cries, even supposing I were permitted
to get so far, would not be heard by the

A Cabinet Secret 225

passers-by. I had already noticed that
Conrad's hand was in his coat-pocket, and
my imagination told me what that pocket
contained. Then the sound of some one
descending the stairs reached my ears, and
next moment my gaolor burst furiously
into the room. His relief at seeing me was
evident, but he seemed unable to understand
how it was that he found us conversing so
quietly together. He looked from one to
the other of us as if for an explanation.

" I have put the situation before Sir
George," said the Countess, "and I have
also told him that the danger is over now,
and that to-night he will be at liberty to go
where he pleases."

" And for the present what is to become of
me?" I enquired, before the man could say
anything.

"We shall be delighted if you will give us
the pleasure of your company," said the
Countess. " Forgive me for not having asked
you to sit down before."

Having by this time made up my mind as
to how I should play my part, I did as she
suggested, and for the rest of the morning

226 A Cabinet Secret

remained in the room, conversing with her
on a hundred different subjects, and acting
for all the world as if our meeting had been
of the most casual description. At one o'clock
luncheon was served, and we sat down to it,
still on as friendly terms as ever. As I had
noticed with regard to the previous meals
of which I had partaken in the house, the
cooking was perfect, the wines excellent,
and the waiting all that could be desired.

On one point, by this time, my mind was
quite made up. As soon as I escaped from
captivity, I would open Rotherhithe's eyes
as to the true character of his fiancee. One
thing, I must confess, puzzled me considerably.
I could not understand why, if they had been
at such pains to secure me, they should be
willing to liberate me so soon. I was destined
to be better informed on this point, however,
before very long.

During the progress of the meal the
Countess chatted with me as pleasantly as
if we were sitting in her dining-room at
Wiltshire House. It was significant, however,
that Rotherhithe's name was never once
mentioned. When the meal was at an end

A Cabinet Secret 227

she gave us permission to smoke, and accord-
ingly, after our coffee had been handed to us,
Conrad proffered me his cigarette case. How
was I to know that the coffee had been
drugged, and that within a quarter of an
hour of my drinking it, I should be lying fast
asleep in my chair, beyond all knowledge of
my surroundings. The Countess had scored
another trick.

CHAPTER IX

all that occurred after I became un-
conscious I am quite ignorant. From
the moment of my closing my eyes until six
o'clock next morning my mind is a perfect
blank. All I remember is, that little by little
I became aware of a strange oscillation. It
was as if my bed were being tossed violently
about, to the accompaniment of a noise like the
groaning of a thousand tormented souls.

"It will go off if I lie still," I said to myself.
But instead, every moment, it grew worse. At
last, when I could bear it no longer, I opened
my eyes and looked about me. What I saw
was calculated to afford me considerable
astonishment. I had imagined myself to be
lying in the room whence I had escaped, what
I supposed to be a few hours before. I was
not there, however. The place in which I was
lying was the cabin of a ship, and was some

A Cabinet Secret 229

nine feet long by six in width. Opposite
the bunk in which I lay, was the customary
brass-bound port-hole, with a cushioned settee,
or locker, below it. The door was at the foot
of the bed ; a wash-hand stand with a mirror
above it stood against the bulkhead, there was
a narrow strip of faded carpet upon the floor,
and when I have noted these things I have
furnished you with a detailed description of the
cabin. What the name of the vessel was and
how I had got there were questions I could
not answer. One. thing, however, was quite
certain ; whatever else she might be, the ship
was not a good sea boat. She rolled abomin-
ably, and from the pounding noise on deck I
gathered that she was taking aboard more seas
than was altogether comfortable. With my
head clanging like a ship's bell, I managed to
scramble out of my bunk and approach the
port-hole. Constantly blurred though the glass
was by the waves that dashed against it, I was
able to convince myself that there was no land
in sight. All I had before me was a confused,
tumbling mass of water, an expanse of cloud-
covered sky, and once, when we rose upon a
particularly heavy sea, the fleeting picture of a

230 A Cabinet Secret

barque making extremely bad weather of it,
three miles or so distant.

Turning from the dismal scene, I tried the
door, to find, as I had expected, that it was
locked. It was evident from this that though
a decided change had come over my affairs,
I was still a prisoner. The situation was
both dispiriting and perplexing ; my head,
however, ached too much to allow me to worry
over it for very long. I accordingly climbed
back into my bunk and composed myself for
sleep once more. Success must have crowned
my efforts, for when I woke again, the com-
parative steadiness of the vessel convinced
me that the weather had taken a turn for the
better. From a ray of sunlight that danced
in and out through the port-hole, it was
plain that clouds, which had hitherto covered
the sky, had disappeared, and that there
were hopes of better weather. My head-
ache had almost left me, and I felt that if I
could procure something to eat I should be
almost myself once more. On looking at my
watch I found to my annoyance that it had
stopped at five minutes to six, so that I was
unable to tell what the hour was. Once more

A Cabinet Secret 231

I climbed out of the bunk, and this time seated
myself upon the settee.

I had not been there many minutes before
the sound of voices reached my ears. The
speakers were in the saloon, so I gathered, and
one of the voices sounded strangely familiar
to me. I tried to locate it, but for a time
was unable to do so. Then in a flash it
occurred to me, and I wondered that I had
not recognised it before. It was the voice of
Senor Sargasta, the Countess's father, or at
any rate her reputed father.

" I am still in their clutches," I said to
myself, with something that was very like
despair, as I realised the meaning of this
new discovery, "but how on earth did they
get me aboard this boat, and what are they
going to do with me now that they have
got me here ? "

The question was beyond me, however.
I was compelled to leave it unanswered.

A few seconds later I heard the sound
of footsteps approaching my cabin. Then
the door was unlocked and opened, and the
grey-haired, military-looking man, who had
driven up with the Countess to the hotel

232 A Cabinet Secret

in Paris, and who had been introduced to
London society as her parent, entered the
cabin. Behind him was the young Count
Conrad, with the same supercilious smile upon
his face.

" Good-morning, my dear Sir George," said
the elder man, with one of his extraordinary
bows. "I am rejoiced to find that your
adventure of last night has had no ill effect
upon you. Allow me to offer you a hearty
welcome to this gallant vessel. I fear that she
has not behaved herself altogether as she might
have done since you have been on board,
but the North Sea is at the best of times
a discourteous host."

" So I am in the North Sea, am I ? " said
I to myself, as I registered that piece of
information in my mind. Then I continued
aloud, " You have played me a scurvy trick
between you, and one that, if I ever get
out of this, will be likely to cause you a
considerable amount of trouble."

The smile widened on Conrad's face.
Evidently he thought the possibility of my
regaining my freedom was a very remote
one,

A Cabinet Secret 233

"I am desolated to think that we should
have so much inconvenienced you," Sargasta
replied. " But, alas, we had no option.
However, we must do our best to make
your stay with us as pleasant as is com-
patible with the circumstances. Doubtless
you are hungry after your long fast. If so,
will you permit me to conduct you to the
saloon, where you will find that a meal has
been prepared for you."

"You give me my liberty on board, then?"
I said, with some surprise.

" Since we are clear of the coast, and
provided of course that you do not abuse it,
we will do so to a certain extent," he replied.
" Should you give us a cause to regret our
decision, nothing will remain but for us to
confine you to your cabin once more. Pray
let me lead the way."

With a feeling of vague bewilderment,
almost impossible to describe, I followed
them into the saloon, where I discovered,
as he had said, that a meal had been
arranged for me. In spite of my sorry
position, I found that I possessed an ex-
cellent appetite and, in order that they might

234 ^ Cabinet Secret

not think that they had overawed me, I fell
to work upon the joint before me with an
avidity that I flatter myself considerably sur-
prised them. Meanwhile the steamer rolled
incessantly, until it looked as if even the
fiddles upon the table would be unable to
keep my plate and glass in position. For-
tunately, I am an excellent sailor, otherwise
I am doubtful whether I should have been
able to continue my meal. During its pro-
gress the older man had seated himself near
me, as if to make sure that I did not cut
my throat, or do myself any other mischief
with the knife I held in my hand. When
I had finished he pointed to the deck above.

" Perhaps you would like to take a little
fresh air," he shouted politely, for the noise
below was such that we could scarcely make
each other hear. "If so, permit me to be
your escort."

In reply, I bowed and followed him along
the saloon to the small companion ladder which
led to the deck above. It was a fine scene
that met our gaze as we opened the door
and stepped out. I have already said that the
violence of the gale had abated somewhat,

A Cabinet Secret 235

but there was still a sufficiently high sea
running, to make it difficult to retain one's
footing without holding on to something.
After the stuffiness of my cabin, however,
the pure air was vastly refreshing. As I
stood in the hatch I took stock of the vessel.
She could not have been more than fifteen
hundred tons, and was as ancient a tub as
could be safely trusted to put to sea. She
was the possessor of an old-fashioned poop,
from which two brass-railed ladders led down
on either side to the deck below. On the
small bridge forrard I could catch a glimpse
of the officer of the watch, pacing to and
fro, but at the distance I was from him, it
was impossible to say whether I was acquainted
with him or not.

" Let us walk aft," bellowed the old gentle-
man in my ear.

I accordingly turned and staggered with him
as far as the taffrail, then forward again to
the sheltered side of the deck. Here a
surprise, to which my discovery of the Countess
in that suburban house was as nothing, was
in store for me You will realize what I
mean when I say that, comfortably stretched

236 A Cabinet Secret

out on deck-chairs on the lee side of the
hatch were three men, who one and all
uttered exclamations of astonishment on seeing
me. As for me, I stood clutching the rails,
and staring at them as if they were spirits
from the grave come to mock at me. The
man nearest to me was none other than the
Commander-in-Chief, who had disappeared so
mysteriously from Lord Beckingdale's residence
on the night before the Aldershot review ;
next to him, with a rough sou'wester tied
under his chin, was the Honourable Benjamin
Castellan, Secretary of State for the Colonies,
who had vanished shortly after I had said
good-night to him in Cockspur Street, and
whom I had thought never to see again ; while
furthest from me, and nearest the poop ladder,
a stubby grey beard covering his usually well-
shaven chin, was my old friend, General Woller,
who had apparently been caught up into space
at Paddington Station, after his return from
audience at Windsor. The Colonial Secretary
was the first to speak.

"Good Heavens, Manderville," he shouted,
" is it you, or your ghost ? "

"It is I, Manderville," I answered, as if

A Cabinet Secret 237

the assertion were necessary. " But you — we
thought you were dead. How in the name
of all that's wonderful, did you get here ? "

By this time they were all on their feet,
holding on to the rail of the hatch by one
hand, shaking my hand by the other.

" That's too long a story to tell you now,"
said the Commander-in-Chief. "The question
is, how did you get here ? "

I could furnish them with no answer to
that question, but referred them to the men
who had kidnapped me. Meanwhile, the old
Italian stood a few paces away, holding on
to the rail and watching us. Even by this
time I had not recovered from my surprise.
In London we had all looked upon them as
dead men, and now to find them my com-
panions on a small steamer on the high seas,
was almost too great a surprise.

" It seems beyond belief to find you here,"
I said, as we made our way back to the
shelter of the companion hatch, where there
was comparative silence. " The almost uni-
versal belief in England is that you have
been murdered by Anarchists."

" We might as well have been," Woller

238 A Cabinet Secret

replied gloomily. " Until Castellan came, I
was alone upon this tub, and you can imagine
the sort of life I led."

" I can imagine all sorts of things," I replied.
" But I want to hear your story. The others
have doubtless told you how completely your
disappearance puzzled us, Woller ? We traced
you as far as Paddington, and then lost sight
of you altogether. It was said that you had
taken a cab in the station yard and had driven
away in it, but no trace of the driver could ever
be discovered, in spite of the large rewards we
offered."

" No one saw me drive away from
Paddington," he answered, "for the simple
reason that I walked from the station. They
must have mistaken me for some one else.
The scheme which brought about my destruc-
tion was, I must admit, a singularly ingenious
one, if there is any comfort to be derived from
that fact, and yet it was simplicity itself. As
you are aware, the train by which I left
Windsor, after stopping at Slough, does not
do so again, except for ticket collecting, until
it reaches Paddington. I should here mention
that before leaving London that morning for

A Cabinet Secret 239

Windsor, I had received a note from my old
friend, Mrs Marchingham, who is a great
invalid, and whose son is at the Front, asking
me if I could possibly spare the time to call
upon her in order to wish her good-bye. On
receipt of her letter I telegraphed to her saying
that I would make every endeavour to comply
with her request. It would have been strange
had I not, for we had been playfellows as
children, and had always been on the most
affectionate terms."

" One moment," I said, for an idea had struck
me. "If you telegraphed to her, how was it
that the Department did not make us aware of
the fact ? We caused every enquiry to be
made."

" Because I signed the telegram with my
Christian name, and I am quite certain that no
one recognised me at the Post-Office," he
replied, and then continued his story.

" Well, as soon as I reached Paddington on
my return from Windsor, I alighted from the
train, and remembering that Exminster Terrace,
where my old friend's residence is situated, is
only a short distance from the station, I did not
take a cab. On reaching the house, the front

240 A Cabinet Secret

door was opened to me by a neat maid-servant,
who informed me that Mrs Marchingham was
at home, and was expecting me. I accordingly
followed her upstairs to the drawing-room
where I waited, while the maid informed me that
she would acquaint her mistress of my arrival. I
might here explain that the drawing-room is a
double one, and that the portion into which I
was shown was at the back of the house, and
overlooked the garden. The double doors
were closed and heavy curtains draped either
side of the window. Having no thought of
treachery, I was standing beside the fire, wait-
ing for my old friend to make her appearance,
when two men suddenly emerged from behind
the curtains, and pointed revolvers at me.
One was the young Count Reiffenburg, cousin
to the famous Countess de Venetza, of Wilt-
shire House, the other I had never seen
before. In answer to my demands to be in-
formed what their conduct meant, they told me
that I was their prisoner, that Mrs Marching-
ham was abroad, and that they were her
tenants for the time being. The letter I had
received was a forgery. Had there been the
least chance of escape, or had it been possible

A Cabinet Secret 241

for me to defy them, I should have done so,
but one glance was sufficient to show me that
the case was hopeless. That night I was
drugged, and when I recovered my senses I
found myself on board this vessel, though how
I got here I cannot say. Such is the un-
varnished record of my adventures."

Turning to the Colonial Secretary, I asked
him to make me acquainted with his story.

" I am afraid that mine is rather more
prosaic," he answered. " You will remember
that on the night of my disappearance you and
I walked together as far as Cockspur Street.
There we stood talking upon the pavement
for a short time, after which I wished you
good-night and went down one of the side
streets leading to Carl ton House Terrace.
I do not know whether you can recall the
occurrence, but just before we bade each
other good-night, an old woman passed us ? "

I admitted that I remembered the fact,
whereupon he continued :

" That old woman's presence in the passage
had escaped my memory when I entered it.
I had not advanced twenty paces, however,
before I saw her turn and come towards me.

Q

242 A Cabinet Secret

I was quite prepared for her to beg, and I
was not disappointed. She implored me to
give her a trifle in order that she might obtain
a lodging for the night. Producing a coin,
I was about to hand it to her, when some-
thing was slipped over my head from behind,
and tightened round my neck. In such cases
thought is quicker than action, and in a flash
I realized that I was being garrotted. I have
a vague recollection of being picked up and
carried into a house close by, and then my
senses left me and I remembered no more
until I found myself on board this ship. My
astonishment at finding Woller here to greet
me may be better imagined than described.
One night we came to anchor off the coast,
though at what particular spot I cannot say,
and next morning we discovered that the Com-
mander-in-Chief had become one of our party.
Now you had better ask him for his story."
I was about to do so when Sarg-asta who,

o

as I have said, had all the time been stand-
ing near us, stated that it was time for
us to return to our cabins. I wondered at
the ready obedience that was given to his
orders, but my wonderment did not last long,

A Cabinet Secret 243

when a man stepped from a spot alongside the
mizzen-mast and I saw that he carried a rifle
in his hand. We accordingly descended the
companion ladder in single file, and once more
entered the saloon. It was then that I dis-
covered that two of our state cabins were
on one side and two on the other, all of
which when we were in them were kept
securely locked.

When I was once more a prisoner in my
cabin, I sat myself down upon the locker and
endeavoured to appreciate my position. In
whatever way one looked at it, it was far from
being an enviable one. What our fate was
to be it was difficult to see. Was it possible
our captors intended to maroon us in some
desolate region, or did they intend doing away
with us altogether on the High Seas? In the
latter case we should perish without a chance
of helping ourselves, and our friends would
remain in ignorance of our fate for ever. If
we could only manage to communicate with
the outside world, it might then be possible
to capture the diabolical woman who was at
the head of the affair. I felt that I could
almost meet death complacently were I able

244 <d Cabinet Secret

to bring about that happy circumstance.
When I thought of all that had happened to
me through her agency, I was nearly beside
myself with contempt for having allowed
myself to be so easily trapped.

So old-fashioned was the vessel that when
darkness fell, instead of the electric light,
an oil lamp was inserted in the receptacle
outside the door. It had not been there very
long before the door was unlocked, and a man
whom I had not before seen, informed me
that supper was upon the table. Eager to
meet my comrades once more, I hastened into
the saloon to find the Commander-in-Chief
seated on one side of the table with Conrad
beside him. I was invited to take my place
on the other side, next to that occupied by
Senor Sargasta. The violence of the sea
had abated considerably, though the use of
the fiddles had still to be retained. I looked
about me for a sign of the Colonial Secretary
and Woller, but as they were not present,
I came to the conclusion that our gaolers
were adopting, what must have struck them
as being a very necessary precaution, namely,
dividing our party into two portions. This

A Cabinet Secret 245

proved to be the case, for from that time
forward, we were not permitted to take either
our meals or our exercise together. The
Commander-in-Chief and I were to be com-
panions ; the Colonial Secretary and Woller
following suite. By this course the danger
of any rising on our part was reduced by
one half, while the strain of guarding us was
not nearly so great.

During the progress of the meal, scarcely a
word was spoken. We waited upon ourselves,
and it was only when something that did not
happen to be on the table was required, that
the man who had called me to the meal made
his appearance. After supper was over, we
were informed that we might go on deck if
we pleased, and, needless to say, we eagerly
embraced the opportunity. Having donned
our hats, we once more made our way to the
companion ladder.

It was a brilliant moonlight night ; scarcely
a cloud was to be seen in the sky, while the
wind and sea were abating every hour. Arm-
in-arm we began to pace the deck, at the same
time noticing the fact that the man with the
rifle was as usual stationed near the poop-rail.

246 A Cabinet Secret

"It is evident that no precaution is to be
omitted," said the Commander-in-Chief, with a
bitter laugh. " I wonder what our friends in
England would say if they could see us now ? "

" I wonder what they would say," I replied,
" if they knew who was at the bottom of it
all ? I suppose the Countess de Venetza is
still giving her charming little dinners at
Wiltshire House, and is still talking so regret-
fully of the losses England has sustained by
reason of the disappearance of her prominent
officials. Heaven send that Rotherhithe finds
her out in time 1 "

" What do you mean ? " my companion
asked. " Why should he find her out ? "

Then I remembered that Rotherhithe's en-
gagement to the Countess had been announced
since the Commander-in-Chiefs disappearance,
whereupon I made him acquainted with the
facts of the case, and in doing so gave him a
description of the dinner at Wiltshire House,
which had been the preliminary to my capture.

" If we could only find some means of
making the world aware of what we have
discovered," he said, after a few moments'
silence.

A Cabinet Secret 247

" That's what I was thinking this afternoon,"
I replied. "It appears to be impossible, how-
ever. If we were to throw a message over-
board, it is a million to one against its being
picked up or believed, while if we were in any
way to attempt to attract the attention of a
passing vessel, we should in all probability
be dead men before they could come to our
assistance."

" Be careful not to speak too loud," said my
companion. " That fellow at the rail possesses
sharp ears. You may be sure he will report
anything he may regard as suspicious in our
conversation or behaviour."

" By the way," I said, " I have not yet
been told how your capture was effected. Had
the man I saw in the wood, and whose
presence I reported to Beckingdale, anything
to do with it ? "

" I am quite sure he had," was the reply.
" In point of fact I incline to the belief that
he was the ringleader in the whole affair.
Taken altogether, it was not a very brilliant
piece of work, and I have never ceased to be
angry with myself for having been taken in
so easily. But that is our general complaint.

248 A Cabinet Secret

In its simplicity, however, lay its greatest
chance of success. I can see that now."

" My own affair was simple enough. Ob-
serve how it succeeded. Now give me the
details."

"You shall have them. Doubtless you re-
member the fact that I was paying my first visit
to Lord Beckingdale's new house. I had
stayed at his old residence before it was burnt
down, but had never been there since the
restoration. That will be sufficient to account
for my ignorance of its general plan. On
the night of which I am speaking, I was
located, as you will recollect, in the South
Wing. Where Beckingdale's own quarters
were I have no idea, and, as you may suppose,
since then I have had no opportunity of find-
ing out. I forget whether I mentioned the
fact to you that I had brought a new man
down with me. Poor old Simmons no longer
felt equal to his work, and in consequence I
had been compelled to engage a new man —
a thing I hate doing. The fresh importation,
however, seemed a very quiet and respectable
fellow, and he had just completed his first
month's service with me, when my visit to

A Cabinet Secret 249

Aldershot was arranged. On the evening in
question I was tired, and dismissed him as
quickly as possible. I don't think my head had
been upon the pillow for more than five minutes
before I was fast asleep. How long I slept I
have no idea, I only know that I suddenly
awoke to find my servant standing beside my
bed, looking as if he himself had been hastily
aroused from sleep.

" ' What is it ? ' I asked as soon as I was able
to say anything. ' What brings you here at
this hour of the night?'

"'A message from his Lordship, sir,' the
man replied in a low voice. ' His servant
called me up to come and tell you that his
Lordship would be glad if you would go
to him as soon as possible in his study. A
messenger has arrived from London with most
serious intelligence. The other gentlemen
have been roused, and his Lordship begs that
you will not lose a moment in joining them.
He would ask you to be as quiet as possible,
in order that the ladies may not be alarmed.'

" ' Have you any idea what the news is ?' I
enquired, as I got out of bed, for I thought it
was just possible that Beckingdale's servant

A Cabinet Secret

might have said something to him when giving
him the message.

" ' No, sir,' he replied ; ' I have no notion,
except that it is very serious. His Lordship's
man, sir, went so far as to say that all London
is in an uproar.'

"Without more ado I sprang from my bed
and commenced dressing. In a very few
minutes I was sufficiently presentable to pro-
ceed on my errand.

" ' Where did you say Lord Beckingdale is ? '
I asked, as we prepared to leave the room.

" ' In his study, sir,' the man replied. ' If
you will allow me I will take you to him.'

" Bidding him step quietly so that the rest
of the household should not be disturbed, I
followed him from the room, and down the
passage in the direction of the hall. A faint
glimmer of light illumined the passage, so that
we were able to make our way along it with-
out the assistance of a lamp or candle. Hav-
ing reached the gallery, my man did not
descend by the stairs to the hall below, but
branched off down a side passage into a
portion of the house I had not yet penetrated.
Having passed along another corridor, we ap-

,A Cabinet Secret 251

preached a door before which he paused.
Still with the utmost respect, he opened
it very quietly, and bowed as if for me to
enter. Never for a moment suspecting such a
thing as treachery, I did so, and, a moment
later, had received a blow on the head, and was
lying upon the floor, insensible. I can leave
you, Manderville, to estimate the daring of the
trick that had been played upon me. I have
no doubt that it was with the deliberate in-
tention of taking part in it that that wretched
valet had- entered my service. Little did I
think, when I congratulated myself upon having
secured him, that he was ultimately to bring
about my ruin."

" But do you mean to tell me that, while we
were all asleep, the very man whom I had seen
watching the house from the plantation, and
against whom I had warned Beckingdale, had
entered it and taken possession of one of the
rooms, in order to kidnap his most important
guest ? "

"I do mean it," he replied. " Improbable,
impossible, though it may appear, it was
certainly the case."

" And what happened to you afterwards ?

252 A Cabinet Secret

Remember the house was guarded by the
police, and that, as soon as your disap-
pearance was made known, the country for
miles around was scoured in search of
you."

"It was not of the least use, for I did not
leave the place until two days later," he replied.
"As a matter of fact, for more than forty-
eight hours I lay concealed, wishing myself
dead, between the roof and the ceiling of that
quaint old summer-house on the little knoll at
the further end of the lake. How they got me
there I cannot say, but that I was there and
was prevented from making my presence
known, even though my friends searched the
room below for me, is as true as I am talking
to you now. Then, when the search must have
lost some of its energy, I was brought down in
the dead of the night, carried through the wood,
and placed in a conveyance of some sort, which
immediately drove away with me. Shortly
before daybreak we arrived at a house
standing a good distance back from the road.
From what I could see of it, it was a ram-
shackle old place, but the man who owned it, or
at any rate the individual who came out to meet

A Cabinet Secret 253

us, seemed to be on familiar terms with my
guards. He helped them to escort me into the
house, and, if I am not mistaken, he himself
locked the door of the small room in which I was
to be confined for the next twenty hours. At the
end of that time, still powerless to help myself, I
was once more brought downstairs and placed in
the cart. Again we drove off, and, for six
hours, I suffered every imaginable torture. My
hands and feet were tightly bound, and my
mouth was secured so that I could not utter a
cry for help. The cords used lacerated my
wrists and ankles, while my head ached from
the violence of the blow it had received on
the night of my abduction. At last the cart
stopped, and one of the men sprang out. A
voice asked a question in Italian, then there
was the sound of some one moving away,
after which not a word was spoken for upwards
of half-an-hour. At the end of that time the
man who had absented himself returned and
said in English, "It is all right." An interval
of whispering followed, and then I was lifted
out and placed upon the ground.

" ' Not a word as you value your life,' said a
voice, which I recognised as belonging to Count

254 <d Cabinet Secret

Reiffenburg. ' If you speak, you're a dead
man.'

" Another man took his place beside me and
we entered a small field, crossed it, and then
passed through a thick pine wood, which in its
turn led up to some sandhills, whence we could
see the moonlit waters of the Bay. A fishing-boat
was being put out, and towards it my captors
hurried me. Where the place was or whither
they were taking me, I could not imagine, nor
did I dare to offer any expostulation. I merely
took my seat in the boat and waited to see
what would happen. A quarter of an hour or
so later, under the influence of a steady breeze,
we were outside the Bay, making for the open
sea. As the sun was in the act of rising, we
saw a steamer heading in our direction. It
proved to be this vessel, and when we were
alongside, I was immediately transferred to her,
Reiffenburg returning to the shore. You must
picture for yourself my surprise at finding
Woller and Castellan aboard her. Now you
know my story. If any one had told me a
month ago that I should figure in such an
affair, I should not have believed them."

" Another illustration of the old saying

A Cabinet Secret 255

that the unexpected always happens," I
replied.

" If we are fortunate enough to see our friends
again, we shall have some extraordinary stories
to tell," said the Commander-in-Chief. "The
question is, however, shall we ever see them
again ? "

" That remains to be proved," I answered.
" We must put our wits to work to see what
can be done."

The words had scarcely left my lips, before
young Reiffenburg appeared upon the scene
and abruptly informed us that our promenade
was at an end, and that it behoved us to return
to our cabins, in order that our companions,
who had just finished their meal, might take
our places. We followed his instructions, and
made our way slowly to the saloon below, half
hoping that we should have a chance of ex-
changing a few words with our friends. They
were not there, however, having been ordered
to their cabins so that we should not meet.
There was nothing for it, therefore, but to bid
each other good-night, and to retire to our
respective state-rooms with as good grace as
possible.

256 A Cabinet Secret

Next morning, after breakfast, we were
allowed on deck again for an hour, also
after luncheon, and again in the evening.
During the progress of the latter meal I was
struck by the expression on the Commander-in-
Chiefs face. It was as if he were suffering
from a severe attack of suppressed excitement.
He fidgeted uneasily in his seat, and seemed
to experience great difficulty in eating the food
set before him. This excitement found vent
while we were in the companion ladder on our
way to the deck above. Half-way up he
took me by the arm and said in a hoarse
whisper —

" My God ! Manderville, quite by chance to-
day, I have discovered the most diabolical plot
ever hatched by mortal man."

"Then be careful," I returned, "that they
do not suspect you of knowing it. Wait until
we are safely out of ear-shot before you say
anything to me on the subject."

When we reached the deck we found the sentry
on guard as usual. We accordingly walked aft,
and had paced the poop two or three times before
I would permit the Commander-in- Chief to
unfold his tale. Then leaning upon the taffrail,

A Cabinet Secret 257

and looking at the white streak of our wake, I
asked him what he had discovered.

"The most villainous plot, imaginable," he
replied. " You will remember that Reiffenburg
left the saloon before we had finished luncheon
this afternoon, and that I was the first to go up
on deck. You will also recall the fact that the
fellow with the rifle kept close to us while we
were on deck, so that it was impossible for me to
tell you what I had heard. On reaching the top
of the companion, I found Reiffenburg and the
dark man who acts as steward, and yet who
seems to be on such familiar terms with them,
in close conversation beside the door."
" What were they talking about ? "
" Even now I can only hazard a con-
jecture," he answered. " What I heard
Reiffenburg say was this, word for word :
' Fully wound up she will run for an hour.
Then will come the explosion. Sixty minutes
exactly after it has been placed in the stokehole,
it will blow the bottom out, and she will go down
like a stone' On hearing this the other paused
for a moment, then he said :

" : When do you think it will be ? '
" ' The day after to-morrow ',' Reiffenburg
R

258 A Cabinet Secret

replied. ' If 'all goes well, and she keeps to the
arrangement, she should be in sight' When he
had said this he strolled away towards the poop
ladder, while the other took up his position,
with his rifle, alongside the mizzen-mast, pre-
paratory to our coming on deck."

CHAPTER X

"C^OR some minutes after the Commander-in-
Chief had finished speaking, I stood
staring down at the white whirl of water
below me, wrapt in what I might term, for
want of a better simile, an overwhelming
bewilderment of terror. There could be no
doubt that the construction he had placed upon
what he had heard was a correct one. Yet it
seemed beyond belief, as I reviewed it in my
mind, that there could exist men in the world,
so base, so callous, as to even contemplate put-
ting such a scheme into execution. And yet,
what other construction could we place upon it ?
"Are you quite sure that you have told it
to me exactly as you heard it ? " I said, trying
to speak calmly. " As you are aware, the
mere substitution of one word for another,
or the change of a sentence, might make all
the difference."

259

260 A Cabinet Secret

"Oh no," he said, "I am absolutely certain
that I have repeated the conversation word
for word as I heard it. In fact, I should be pre-
pared to stake my life upon it."

"Very well. Now let us look at the
matter from every point of view. You say
that Reiffenburg asserted that a certain some-
thing, when fully wound up, would run for an
hour. Is that not so ? "

The Commander-in-Chief nodded.

" In that case," I continued, " we may be-
lieve ourselves to be right if we describe that
something as a clock-work machine. We may
also be sure that if the explosion to which he
referred is to take place, it will be when the
machine has run for the allotted time. In
other words, it is an anarchist bomb, of
superior construction and capable of being
set, like an alarum clock, to go off at a
given time. The mere fact that it is to be
placed in the stoke-hole, shows that it is to
be used on board a steamer, and it is scarcely
likely to be on any other than this boat.
Putting all these things together, we arrive
at this conclusion : The day after to-morrow
another vessel is due to join us. Our captors

A Cabinet Secret 261

and the crew of this boat will leave her and
go aboard the new-comer, having previously
set the machine going, and

" And we shall be left locked in our cabins
to drown like rats in a trap ! " said my com-
panion in an awed whisper.

" That, I take it, is the idea," I answered
slowly.

" My God ! Manderville, how can you speak
so quietly. Don't you realise what an awful
position we are placed in ? "

" I realize it perfectly," I answered. " I
am trying to think what we can do to save
ourselves."

The situation was so terrible that for a few
moments I stood looking across the waste of
water, seeing nothing but a man locked in
his cabin, knowing that the ship was sink-
ing, and battling vainly for life. " The day
after to-morrow ! The day after to-morrow ! "
The words rang in my brain like the tolling
of a funeral knell.

" Surely there must be a way out of it if we
can only find it," I said — "some manner in
which we can thwart these murderous ruffians.
Let us put our wits to work with all speed,

262 A Cabinet Secret

and see whether or not we can find a
loophole of escape."

" I have been doing that all the after-
noon," the Commander-in-Chief replied, " but
so far without any success. If we are locked
in our cabins, I don't see how it will be
possible for us to do anything. A mouse
confined in a trap, when a servant-girl
plunges it into a bucket of water, is not
more helpless than we shall be."

"Come, come, old friend," I said, "you
must not give way like that."

" I don't think any man can accuse me
of cowardice," he replied, " but I must con-
fess that when I think of what may happen
the day after to-morrow, my courage fails
me."

" But it's not going to happen," I answered.
" Make up your mind to that. As I said
just now, there must be a way out of it,
and we've got to find it. In the mean-
time, we must endeavour, if possible, to
let the others know the position of affairs,
though how that's to be managed, I must
confess I don't quite see. It is not possible
to approach their cabins, and, according to

A Cabinet Secret 263

the new arrangement, we are not allowed
to come into personal contact with them,"

" Could it not be managed by means of
the port-holes?" my companion enquired.
" Your cabin and that occupied by Castellan
adjoin, I believe ? "

" That is so," I replied, " but I could
not reach a quarter of the distance that
separates his port-hole from mine, and I have
nothing in my cabin to assist me. But we
must think it over and see what can be
done. Now we had better begin to pace
the deck again, or they may grow suspicious."

With that we set out, and for upwards of
an hour religiously patrolled the poop. At
the end of that time we were ordered below,
and when my cabin door was locked upon
me, I sat myself down on my locker and
put my brains to work. The first point to
be decided, as I have said above, was how
we were to communicate with the others ;
the second and all important, was to find a
means of escape from the doom that had
been prepared for us. At last, my head in
a whirl, I . turned into bed and endeavoured
to divert my mind from the burden it carried.

264 A Cabinet Secret

The attempt was useless, however, as may
be easily understood. Think of what I would,
my thoughts invariably came back to the
same subject. I recalled that night in Paris,
when the eyes of the woman we had known
as the Countess de Venetza had exercised
such a strange effect upon me. I remembered
the nameless horror they had inspired in me,
and the sleepless nights I had had in con-
sequence. I also recalled our first meeting
and our crossing to London together. Who
would have dreamt then that that meeting
would have ended in this terrible fashion ?

Hour by hour the night wore on until
the faint, weird light of dawn crept into
the sky. We might now say that to-morrow
we should know our fate. Then, tired of
tumbling and tossing in my bunk, I left it,
and stood at the open port-hole, watching the
great, grey waves go by. There was a fair
sea running, and, in consequence, the steamer
was rolling heavily.

" If only I could find some means of
communicating with Castellan," I said to
myself for the hundredth time. . " He and
Woller might put their wits to work, and

A Cabinet Secret 265

possibly hit upon a scheme that would save
us." Then, in a flash, as is generally the
way, an idea occurred to me. If I were per-
mitted a chance of carrying it out, it was quite
within the bounds of possibility that it might
succeed.

Taking my letter-case from my pocket, I
selected a clean half-sheet of note-paper,
and wrote upon it a letter to the Colonial
Secretary. In it I told him what the
Commander-in-Chief had discovered, and
what our suspicions were. I begged
him to tell Woller, and between them to
try and think out a scheme for our deliver-
ance. When I had finished, I made the
note into a cocked hat and slipped it into
my pocket. I might here remark, that the
doors of the various cabins opened directly
into the saloon, and that at the foot of
each door there was the space of nearly
an inch. My object, therefore, was to get
the note under the door without our gaolers
observing what I was doing. At first glance
this would appear a difficult matter to accom-
plish, but I had every confidence in my
plan, and was determined to make the

266 A Cabinet Secret

attempt. As good fortune had it, Castellan's
cabin was almost directly behind my seat
in the saloon, and this was a point in my
favour. Having settled upon an idea for
delivering this note, I was in a fever to put
it into execution. It seemed as if the break-
fast hour would never arrive, but at last the
door was unlocked, and I was informed that
the meal was upon the table. Now or
never must my scheme be carried out.

As I have said, the ship was rolling heavily,
and for this reason I clutched at the rail
running along the side of the saloon, while
with my left I made a feint of reaching the
back of the seat at the table. Then, abandon-
ing the rail, I staggered forward, just as the
ship was finishing her downward roll. The
natural consequence was that I lost my footing
as she came up again, and found myself lying
in a heap upon the floor of the saloon, just
before Castellan's cabin. While in this position,
it was quite easy to push the note underneath
the door without attracting attention. This
accomplished, I staggered to my feet and to
my position at the table, flattering myself that
the whole thing had been so natural that the

A Cabinet Secret 267

suspicions of our captors could not possibly
have been aroused. Our meal at an end, I
followed the Commander-in-Chief to the deck
above.

" Well," I said, when we reached the taffrail,
" have you anything to tell me ? "

"Nothing," he answered lugubriously. "I
lay awake all night puzzling my brains, but
without success. If only we could communicate
with Castellan, I feel sure he would be able
to work out some scheme."

" It is already done," I replied. " I managed
to get a note to him this morning."

" You did," he said, with a look of incredulity
upon his face. " Then how on earth did you
manage it ? "

" By giving myself a bump which I shall
remember for some hours to come," I replied.
" You observed the fall I had in the saloon,
when trying to reach the breakfast-table ? "

" Yes, I noticed it," he answered ; " but what
had that to do with it ? "

" Everything in the world," I said. " Perhaps
it did not strike you that my fall took place
outside Castellan's cabin door. That was when
I got the note to him. If you did not see it,

268 A Cabinet Secret

it is more than probable that the others did
not. In that case, we need have no fears in
that direction."

"There is the making of a strategist in you,"
he said, with the first smile upon his face I
had seen there since he told me his dreadful
news.

" Many thanks. Now the next thing to
consider is, how is Castellan to reply."

" He'll find a way," my companion replied.
" Never fear, Castellan is a resourceful man, and
all I hope is that he'll find a way of getting us
out of this hole. If we could only manage to get
out of our cabins, there might be some chance
for us, but so far as I can see, there is not the
slightest possibility of being able to do that.
What is more to the point, did you observe that
they are making assurance doubly sure by
putting a padlock on each cabin door ? "

"No, I did not notice it," I replied. " How
do you know it ? "

" Because the carpenter was at work on my
door before breakfast," he answered.

If this were so, our case was indeed
hopeless, for while we might be able to
force the lock, it would be impossible to

A Cabinet Secret 269

break through both lock and staple. When
we returned to the saloon, I found that what
my companion had said was only too true.
The man had .placed the necessary fittings
on each of my friends' cabin doors, and was
just commencing on mine. He stood aside to
let me pass, and as he did so, I noticed that
behind the flap of his tool basket, and less than
a couple of inches from the door, lay a small
gimlet, which doubtless he had been using
for the work he had been engaged upon. As
I saw it, a longing to possess it, such as I
never had for anything in my life, came over
me. If only I could get it into the cabin
unobserved, it would be worth more to me
than a hundred times its weight in gold. Was
it possible, however, to secure it? I had
only a second in which to hit upon a scheme,
but that was sufficient. Putting my hand
to my waistcoat, I gave a tug at the cord
which carried my eye-glass. It snapped and
the glass rolled away across the floor towards
the spot where the man was standing. He
stooped to pick it up, but before he had time
to stand upright again, I had given the gimlet
a push with my foot, and it was inside the

270 A Cabinet Secret

cabin. When the man returned the glass to
me, I gave him a coin for his trouble, thanked
him, and then walked into my cabin and shut
the door. Once that was closed behind me,
I picked up my treasure and thrust it under
the mattress of my bunk. The question the
next few minutes would have to decide was
whether the loss would be discovered, and if
so, whether the man would accuse me of taking
it. So invaluable would it be to me, that I
felt as though I would have fought the world
for its possession. I could plainly hear him
driving in the last screws, and afterwards
placing the tools he had been using in his
basket with the others. A moment later the
padlock was placed on the door and locked, and
then my hearing told me that he was leaving the
saloon. When all was safe, I took the gimlet
from its hiding-place once more, and regarded it
with an interest that, I can assure you, no article
of that description had ever inspired in me
before. Now, if only it were not discovered
that I had it in my possession, I felt that I
should be able to make my escape from the
cabin when the proper time arrived.

When we went on deck after luncheon, I

A Cabinet Secret 271

informed the Commander-in-Chief of my good
fortune, and of the use I intended putting it
to. His delight was as sincere as my own,
and we were about to discuss the possibilities
it opened up for us, when I felt compelled
to take off the yachting cap Reiffenburg had
lent me on the morning after my arrival on
board. Hitherto it had been tolerably comfort-
able, now it did not fit at all. A nasty lump
was pressing upon my forehead, and in order
to discover what occasioned it, I lifted the
strip of leather inside, to find a piece of paper
there that had certainly not been in the cap
when I had last worn it. One second's con-
sideration was sufficient to convince me that
this was Castellan's method of conveying a
message to me. He must have worn my cap
when on deck, and have placed the strip of
paper in a place where he knew I should
be well-nigh certain to find it.

Leaning on the taffrail, with our backs
turned to the sentry, I opened it and eagerly
scanned the contents. It ran as follows : —

"DEAR MANDERVILLE,— Your letter astounded
me. The plot you speak of only serves to show
what a set of fiends we have fallen in with. Since

272 A Cabinet Secret

receiving it, I have been puzzling my brains for a
solution of the difficulty, but so far have discovered
no plan that could have the remotest prospect of
success. As you will by this time have noticed,
our enemies have taken double precautions to ensure
our remaining prisoners. Unless we can manage
to force our way out at the last moment, I fear
that our fate is sealed. Should any idea occur to
either of us, I will communicate with you again
by the same means that I have employed on this
occasion. God bless you both, and may He help
us in our trouble. — Your friend, B. C."

When we had read it I tore it into small
pieces and threw the fragments overboard.
Half an hour later, when we went below, I
wrote him a brief note in which I told him
to be of good cheer, for I thought I had hit
upon a scheme which might very possibly
prove successful. This, when next we were
on deck together, I placed in the hat, and
on the following morning had the satisfaction
of finding it gone.

Try, if you can, to imagine with what
feelings we greeted the dawn of the day that
was to mean so much for us. Who knew what
the end of it would be ? The mere idea was
quite bad enough, but the uncertainty as to
when the event we dreaded would take place

A Cabinet Secret 273

was much worse. It might not be until towards
evening, or it might be at any moment. I
was well aware that to carry out the plan
I had proposed to myself — namely, the boring
holes with the gimlet round the lock and
the hasp and staple that secured the padlock,
would take a long time, and, if left until the
last moment, would be useless. On the other
hand, for all our sakes, I dared not begin the
work while there was even the remotest
chance of our enemies discovering it. I
was not afraid of their looking behind the
door, for the simple reason that when I was
out of the cabin, it was invariably hitched back,
by means of a brass catch, to the end of the
bunk — and there would be no reason for them
to examine it. Yet if the point of the gimlet
should chance to penetrate the smooth surface
round the lock on the other side, detection
would be certain, and the plot would fail by
reason of it. Therefore, when we returned
from our morning spell on deck, I embraced
a momentary opportunity that presented itself,
and measured the exact thickness of the door.
Then when the latter was closed upon me
and I was alone, I was able to mark the gimlet to

274 ^ Cabinet Secret

correspond. Having allowed a sufficient margin
to ensure the point not going quite through the
door, I mapped out my plan of operations, and
set to work. The gimlet was not a large one,
nor was its point particularly sharp. The
labour was therefore prodigious ; the tiny box-
handle cut and blistered my hand, my face
streamed with perspiration, but still I worked
on and on, remembering always that not only
my own life, but the lives of my companions,
depended upon my exertions. By mid-day
more than three-parts of the work was accom-
plished. As a memento of the occasion, large
blisters covered the palm of my hand, while
every muscle of my arm ached as if I had been
placed upon the rack. That no suspicions
should be aroused, I removed every particle
of sawdust from the floor, and dropped it out
of the port-hole, to be carried away by the
breeze. By the time I was summoned to the
luncheon only some twenty holes remained,
and these I resolved to complete as soon as we
returned from our airing on deck.

During the progress of the meal, it was
easily to be seen that something unusual was
going on. Our guards were unmistakably

A Cabinet Secret 275

excited, and I will do the older man, Sargasta,
the credit of saying that he appeared sufficiently
alive to his own villainy to have no desire
for conversation with either the Commander-in-
Chief or myself. Conrad, on the other hand,
was even more flippant than usual. I noticed
also that both men watched the deck uneasily,
as though they were momentarily expecting
news from that quarter. If this were so, they
were destined to be disappointed, for the meal
ended as uneventfully as it had begun.

According to custom, we had left our chairs
and were proceeding to the door at the further
end of the saloon, in order to take our usual
promenade, when a hail reached us from the
deck above. Conrad's face — he was standing
in front of us at the time — turned as pale as
the cloth upon the table, and when he ordered
us back to our cabins, a second or so later,
it was in a voice so unlike his own that I
scarcely recognised it. As for myself, a
sudden, and peculiar, feeling of composure
had come over me. I felt sure the vessel
they were expecting was in sight, and that in a
short time they would be on their way to board
her, leaving us to meet, with what fortitude we

276 A Cabinet Secret

might, the miserable death they had arranged
for us.

To have let them have the least suspicion
that we were aware of what they were about
to do, would have been madness on our part,
for in that case they would either have
killed us outright, or have taken the pre-
caution of making our cabins so secure, that
we could not possibly escape from them in
time. Once in my cabin I went to the port-
hole and looked out. As I expected, I had
interpreted the hail from deck aright, for,
coming swiftly towards us, was a handsome
vessel of the yacht type. Already, as I could
tell from the revolutions of the screw, we had
slackened our pace, and were doing but little
more than crawl through the water. If we
were to save ourselves we had not a moment
to lose. Going to the bunk and procuring my
gimlet, I set about the completion of my task
with feverish energy. The blisters in the
palm of my hand burnt like fire, my arm still
ached from its morning exertion, but I kept
steadily on, remembering that every turn of
the little point was bringing us one revolu-
tion nearer safety. Only pausing now and

A Cabinet Secret 277

again to look out of the port-hole, in order to
note the vessel's progress, I continued the work
until only some half-dozen holes were required to
finish the task. In the saloon outside perfect
silence reigned, and I could guess why — they
were either preparing the machine, or making
ready to leave the ship. It seemed to me
that I could hear the ticking of the clock-work
of the bomb. What if it were already in
the stoke-hole, and had been running for half-
an-hour? Another half-an-hour might elapse
before I should be able to open the door.
This thought sent the sweat of pure terror
rolling down my face, and caused me to
work with feverish haste. At last I could
see the new-comer without moving from the
door. She was still little more than a mile
away, and was signalling our vessel. Over-
head the tramp of feet was to be heard,
followed by the whine of a rope running
through a sheave. A moment later a boat
was lowered, and lay for a moment in full
view of my port-hole, before she disappeared.
By this time I had thrown caution to the
winds, and was boring my holes right through
the door, and out on the other side. I had

278 A Cabinet Secret

just finished the last but one, and was about
to withdraw the gimlet, when, without warning,
the frail shaft broke off near the handle, and
the little instrument, which a moment before
had been our connecting link with life, lay at
my feet as useless as a straw. I gazed at it
for a moment, and then threw the handle
from me with a gesture of despair. If I had
not already done enough to make the door
yield, my work would be of no avail. Sud-
denly a voice from the deck above called
through the skylight in the saloon, " Conrad."

"Well?" cried the voice of Reiffenburg in
answer from his cabin on the port side ; " what
is it?"

" What are you about that you do not come ?
Don't you know that the time is half gone ? "

On hearing this, I sank back upon the locker
almost beside myself with terror. My suspi-
cions were correct after all. The machine had
already been running for half-an-hour. A few
seconds later a light step sounded in the
saloon and went clattering up the ladder. I
waited a few moments, and then, with agonizing
curiosity, got on to my feet and looked out of
the port-hole once more. I was just in time

A Cabinet Secret 279

to see three boats leave the side, and push off
in the direction of the stranger. Reiffenburg,
Sargasta, and the man who had waited upon
us, were in that nearest me ; the rest were
filled with the officers and crew. As they
drew further away they looked back at our
doomed vessel, while Reiffenburg, upon whose
face I can quite imagine that devilish smile to
be playing, took off his hat and waved it to
us, as if in ironical farewell. Then I sprang
off the locker, and, seizing the handle of the
door, pulled with all my strength. To my
horror it stood the test. I tried again, with
the same result, and then fell back against the
wash-hand-stand, hopeless, for the moment,
to the very centre of my being. All the time
a little voice within me was telling me that
in the stoke-hole the wheels were going round
remorselessly, ticking off the seconds that
separated us from death. Not more than a
couple of minutes could have elapsed since the
men had deserted the ship, but to me they
seemed like hours. Then, gathering all my
strength together, for one great effort, I once
more gave the door a terrific pull. This time
I was more successful, for the wood cracked.

280 A Cabinet Secret

Another crash followed, the door gave way under
the strain, and I found myself stretched on
my back upon the floor. / was free !

Regaining my feet I did not hesitate. I
had arranged the whole plan in my mind
beforehand, and did not waste a second con-
sidering what should be done. Shouting to
my companions that I would free them in a
few minutes, I rushed along the saloon, down
the little alleyway, past the steward's cabin, and
so on to the main-deck. Before a man could
have counted twenty I was standing among the
polished wheels and rods of the engine-room.
" Heaven send they remained true of their de-
cision to place it in the stoke-hole," I said to
myself as I descended the narrow ladder that led
to the furnace-room below.

It is strange how, in moments of such awful
mental anguish, the mind will revert from the
matter in hand to some apparently trivial subject.
On this occasion I remembered how, many years
ago, the Chairman of a great Steamship Company
had been kind enough to take me over one of
their new vessels, and had shown me the engine-
room and the stoke-hole below. How little I
had thought then that my next visit to a similar

CLUTCHING IT IN MY ARMS.

To fa^e page 281.

A Cabinet Secret 281

place would be in search of an infernal machine
that was intended to take my life ! Rung by
rung I descended the ladder and at last found
myself in the stoke-hole. The furnaces were
still alight, the men not having taken the
trouble to draw the fires. Their rakes and
shovels lay just as where they had thrown
them down, but not a trace of the object I
was searching for could I discover. Like a
madman I ran hither and thither, hunting
high and low: indeed it was not until I was
almost giving up the search in despair, and
was going off to look elsewhere, that my
diligence was rewarded. Then, in a corner,
I made out a black object, in shape not unlike
a large band-box. That it was the bomb there
could be no doubt, for when I placed my ear to its
side, I could distinctly hear the ticking of the
clockwork within. Clutching it in my arms, re-
gardless of what would happen should the allotted
time expire while I was carrying it, I climbed
the ladder, passed through the engine room, and
into the alley beyond. A mist was clouding my
eyes, my breath came in-heavy gasps, but I
heeded nothing save the necessity for getting
that devilish contrivance overboard, and out of

282 A Cabinet Secret

harm's way. Reaching the bulwarks on the
starboard side, that is to say, on the side opposite
to that on which the strange vessel was lying,
I raised it high above my head and threw it
from me. It struck the water with a splash,
a few bubbles followed it, and then it was gone.
So far as that was concerned, we were saved.

Having thrown the machine overboard, I
made my way to the saloon as quickly as possible.
Much still remained to be done. I could imagine
with what impatience my companions were await-
ing my return ; being in ignorance of what was
going on, their anxiety must have been greater
than mine. Hastening to the Captain's cabin
on the port side, which during our term on
board had been occupied by Sargasta, I flung
open the door and hurried in, to find a scene
of the wildest confusion. Clothes, papers, and
books were strewn about the floor in hopeless
disorder, but the articles which I had come
in search of, the keys of my friends' cabin
doors, also those of the padlocks, lay in a bunch
before me upon the table. I picked them up
and hastened into the saloon once more. In
but little longer time than it takes to tell, the
doors were opened, and they were at liberty.

A Cabinet Secret 283

" And the machine ? " cried Castellan, while
the others looked the question.

" Overboard," I answered. " I hastened to
get it out of the way, before coming to relieve
you."

" God bless you, Manderville," said Woller,
taking my hand. " You have saved our
lives ! "

" There can be no doubt of that," put in the
Commander-in-Chief. "And now, what is to
be done ? "

" We must get away from that boat over
there," I answered. " Castellan, you have
always had a liking for mechanics and en-
gineering, do you think you could undertake
the engines ? "

" I think I could manage them at a pinch,"
he replied. "At anyrate, I am quite willing
to try."

" And you ? "

" I must go to the wheel," I answered.
" Whatever happens, we must give that vessel
yonder a run for her money. Now let us
be off, but be sure to keep out of sight as
you cross the deck. They'll be waiting and
watching for the explosion."

284 4. Cabinet Secret

"In that case, Heaven be thanked, they
are doomed to disappointment," said Woller.

''Now, Castellan," I said, "if you can do
us the favour of setting this crazy old tub
going again, we shall be grateful." Then
turning to Woller and the Commander-in-
Chief, I added : " I am sure, gentlemen, you will,
for once in your lives, condescend to officiate
as stokers."

Both were quick to express their willing-
ness to do all that lay in their power to
help, and then we left the saloon and, keep-
ing under cover of the bulwarks, made our
way along the main deck to the midships of
the vessel. In the alleyway at the entrance
to the engine-room we paused for a moment,
and Castellan held out his hand, which I took
without a word. The others followed suit,
and then I sped on towards the ladder leading
to the bridge. Reaching the wheel-house in
front of the chart-room, for I had no intention
of going upon the bridge itself, I shouted down
the tube to the engine-room, to know how
soon it would be possible for them to put her
ahead.

" I am starting her now," was the reply. " I

A Cabinet Secret 285

am afraid, however, that it will be some time
before I can get much out of her."

True to his word, a moment later the vessel
began to draw slowly ahead, but her speed was
so slow as to be scarcely perceptible. As I stood
at the wheel I wondered what they were doing
on board the other vessel. Fully half-an-hour
had elapsed since they had left the ship, and
yet there had been no explosion. I could dis-
tinguish the boats lying alongside her, and
could well imagine how puzzled their occu-
pants must feel. Then a thought came into
my mind which almost brought my heart into
my mouth. What if they should suppose that
something had gone wrong with the mechanism
of the bomb, and should return to the vessel
to make sure of our destruction by scuttling
her themselves ? Under the impulse of this
new fear I applied my mouth to the speaking
tube again.

" For Heaven's sake, get all the speed you
can on her," I cried. " I am afraid of their
coming back."

" We are doing our best," was the reply.
" The pressure is rising steadily."

I prayed that it might rise in time to save

286 A Cabinet Secret

us, and turned my attention to the wheel
once more. Then a sudden and very natural
curiosity came over me to discover, if possible,
our whereabouts on the seas. When I had first
come on board they had talked about the
North Sea, but I had now quite convinced
myself that this was not the case. At the
slow pace at which she was travelling, the
vessel required little or no watching, so, leaving
her to her own devices, I went out of the
wheel-room by the starboard door, in order
that I should not be observed by the people on
board the other vessel, and so entered the old-
fashioned chart-room. I quite expected to find
the chart there with the run marked out upon
it, and I was not disappointed. The navigator,
whoever he was, must have been both a careful
and conscientious man, for I found that he had
pricked off his run up to mid-day. I found it
very easy, therefore, to settle our position.
It proved to be as I expected. We were not
in the North Sea at all, and, so far as that chart
was concerned, had never been there. Our
true position was three degrees, or thereabouts,
west of Achil Head, on the west coast of
Ireland. I had just convinced myself on this

A Cabinet Secret 287

point, when I chanced to look out of the
window on the port side. Almost before I had
time to think, I was back in the wheel-room
once more.

" The boats are returning," I shouted down
the tube, in a voice that might have been heard
a couple of hundred yards away, and then
added illogically — "can you do nothing?"

I looked again, and sure enough two of the
boats were heading directly for us. It was
plain that they had noticed something sus-
picious, either from the smoke escaping from
the funnel, or the splashing of the screw astern,
otherwise they would not have deemed it neces-
sary to send a second boat. They must have
guessed that we had escaped from our cabins,
and that we had taken charge of the ship.

For a moment a feeling of exultation seized
me as I thought of the disappointment and rage
which must be filling their hearts. The feel-
ing, however, was short-lived. Let them once
get aboard, I reflected (and I did not see how
we were to prevent them), and the end, so far
as we were concerned, would be the same as
though the bomb I had thrown overboard had
been allowed to do its deadly work. I looked

288 A Cabinet Secret

out again, to discover that the leading boat
was now less than a quarter of a mile away ;
so close indeed was she that I could plainly
see the men in her — the dark man, who
had officiated as steward, in the bows, and
Sargasta and Conrad in the stern. Every
stroke of the oars was bringing her nearer, and
already the man in the bows was getting his
boat-hook ready to hitch on to the accommoda-
tion ladder. In another two or three minutes
at most, they would have been aboard. Then
in a voice which at any other time I should
not have recognised for my own, I shouted
down the tube — " For Heaven's sake, give her
steam. They are close alongside." Then
came back the answer I shall not forget as
long as I live : "It's all right now, I can let
her go."

I had scarcely withdrawn my ear from the tube
before I felt a throb run through the vessel, and
she was going ahead at a speed that could
scarcely have been less than eight knots an
hour. Throwing prudence to the winds, I
ran out to the deck and looked at the boats,
now lying motionless upon the water some
considerable distance astern. One of the occu-

A Cabinet Secret 289

pants of the first boat was standing up watch-
ing us through a pair of glasses. Then,
realizing that it was hopeless for them to
think of catching us, the boat's head was
turned, and they pulled back at a fast pace
towards the yacht. That it would be neces-
sary for the latter to remain in order to pick
them up was quite certain, and in this lay
our chance of obtaining a good start. Through
the medium of the speaking-tube I shouted
words of encouragement to the engine-room
below. It needed only a glance over the side
to be assured that our speed was materially
increasing. If only we could manage to keep
it up until nightfall, it was just possible we
might manage to escape after all. At one
time and another I have sailed many an
exciting race, but never one for such a big
stake as that we were now contesting. It was
nearly five o'clock by this time, and the after-
noon was rapidly drawing in. In half an hour
it would be dark, then, if we were not overhauled
and captured before, our opportunity would
come. Kind, however, as Providence had so
far been, even greater good fortune was still

in store for us. I remember that I had just

T

290 A Cabinet Secret

called down to the engine-room to know
if one of them could come up to me for a
consultation. The Commander-in-Chief was
selected, and it was not long before he made his
appearance before me, collarless, with his shirt-
sleeves rolled up, and begrimed from head to
foot with coal-dust.

" Where is she ? " he asked, as soon as he
reached me.

In answer I led him to the door of the
wheel-room and pointed astern.

" She has got the boats aboard, and will be
after us in a few minutes," I said. " Let us
hope that we shall be able to show them a good
pair of heels. Can she do any more than her
present running ? "

" Not very much," my companion replied.
" We are all inexperienced down below, you
know. If you could see Castellan's face as
I saw it just now, you would see the very
picture of anxiety. He says he doesn't know
at what moment he may turn a wrong handle
and blow us to pieces."

"I trust he will not do so just yet," I
answered. "Tell him we are all agreed that
he is doing splendidly. And now let us see

A Cabinet Secret 291

how our friend, the enemy, is get Why,

what's this ? what's become of the yacht ? I
can't see her ! "

We stood at the wheel-house door strain-
ing our eyes, but we could see no sign of the
yacht. Providence had sent to our assistance
one of those extraordinary fogs which spring
up so quickly on the west coast of Ireland, and
this was the stroke of Good Fortune to which
I have already referred. A moment before
the sea had been as open as a mill pond ;
now it was covered with an impenetrable
blanket of mist.

" If we don't run into anything, or anything
doesn't run into us, I fancy we shall be able
to give her the slip, after all," I said. " Now
the matter to be settled is the course we are
to pursue. Shall we continue as we are going,
that is to say, parallel with the coast, or shall
we bring her head due west and make for the
open sea?"

" There can be no doubt that under the
present circumstances, the open sea is the
right place for us," my companion replied.
" The western coast line of Ireland is pro-
verbially treacherous, and if this fog continues,

292 A Cabinet Secret

we ought to have plenty of sea-room about
us."

" I agree with you. And the others, what
do they say ? "

" They are willing to fall in with anything
we may decide," he answered.

"In that case, let us steer for the open
sea," I said, and put the wheel over as I
did so.

The vessel's head turned slowly round, and
when I had got her into the position I wanted,
I resigned the wheel to my companion, telling
him to keep her as she was going, while I
went into the next cabin to look at the chart.
On examining it, I was relieved to find that,
according to the course we were now steering,
and the speed at which we were travelling,
it would be all straightforward sailing for
some hours to come.

By this time the vessel was encompassed in
a white shroud, so that it was impossible to
see more than a few yards ahead. As an
example, I might remark that from the wheel-
house even the foremast was invisible. Not
a sound was to be heard save the throbbing
of the engines and the dripping of the moisture

A Cabinet Secret 293

upon the deck. Nevertheless, regardless of
consequences, we steamed steadily on, trusting
to the good fortune which had followed us so
far to keep any vessel out of our way.

When I returned to the wheel-room, the
Commander-in-Chief left for below, promising,
on his arrival there, to send Woller to the
cuddy in search of food. The necessity
for husbanding our strength, in view of the
work we had before us, was apparent to all.
That the General was successful in his search
was proved by the fact that when he joined
me a quarter of an hour later, he brought with
him a bottle of claret, some excellent ham,
and enough bread and cheese to have satisfied
two men, with appetites bigger than my own.
After he had left me, I lighted the lamps in
the binnacle and then fell to work upon the
food.

So far as that night is concerned there is
little else to chronicle. Hour after hour, that
is to say until ten o'clock, we continued our
due westerly coast, and then left the fog behind
us, as suddenly as it had overtaken us. Over-
head the stars shone brilliantly, while the sea,
save for the long Atlantic swell, was as smooth

294 <d • Cabinet Secret

as glass. Though I searched the waste of
water as far as my eye could reach, not a sign
of a vessel could be discovered. Having
satisfied myself upon this point, I made
the wheel secure and set off in search of
the ship's lights. These I discovered in the
forecastle, and when I had placed them in
position I lighted them, and then returned to
the wheel-room. I had not been there many
minutes before the sound of a footstep on
the deck outside attracted my attention, and
a minute later Castellan stood before me.
No one would have recognised in the figure
he presented, the trim, well-dressed Colonial
Secretary of a few months before.

"All well so far, Manderville," he said
cheerily ; " but I can tell you it's terribly anxious
work below. I've just run up to obtain a
breath of fresh air and to see what you are
doing. I am afraid you must be very tired."

" Not more tired than you are, I expect," I
answered. " I intend bringing her head round
to south-west in a few minutes ; that should put
us in the track of ships by daylight. Our luck
will have deserted us indeed, if we cannot find
one and get them to take us aboard. Do you

A Cabinet Secret 295

think you can manage to hold out below until
then ? "

"We must," he replied ; "there is nothing
else for it. This has been a terrible day,
Manderville. We ought to be thankful that
we have come so well out of it."

" Hear, hear, to that," I answered.

"And now I must be getting back to- the
engine-room," he said. " Call through the tube
if you want anything, won't you ? "

I promised to do so, and then with another
good wish, he bade me farewell and dis-
appeared.

When he had gone I brought the vessel's
head round to the course indicated, and then
settled myself down to a long night's vigil.
How wearying it was I must leave my readers
to imagine. The night was bitterly cold, but I
was so wrapt up in what I was doing, that I
paid small heed to that. At regular intervals I
left the wheel-room and went to the bridge
above, to make sure that no vessel was in
sight. Then I would return to my post and
remain there for another quarter of an hour.
It was wearying work, and more than once I
was so nearly over-powered by sleep that it

296 A Cabinet Secret

became necessary for me to stamp my feet and
pinch myself in order to keep awake. At last,
after what seemed an eternity of waiting, the
first signs of approaching day were to be
observed in the sky. Then a faint grey light
overspread the sea, touching the little waves
until they had the appearance of frosted silver.
When it was quite light I left the wheel and
made my way up to the bridge. Still no sail
was in sight, and for all I could see to the
contrary, ours might have been the only vessel
upon the ocean.

At seven o'clock, when I was beginning to
feel faint for want of food, I spoke through the
tube to Castellan, asking him to send one of his
companions in search of a meal. He informed
me that Woller would go immediately, and on
hearing that I returned to my post. I had not
been there many minutes, before I heard a
shout outside, and Woller, excited beyond
measure, made his appearance at the wheel-
house door.

" A ship ! a ship ! " he cried. " A man-of-war,
if I'm not mistaken, and not more than five
miles away ! "

Before he could say anything more I was out

A Cabinet Secret 297

on the deck beside him, holding on to the rail
and watching a large black man-of-war coming
up hand-over-hand. She was certainly not
more than five miles distant, and every moment
brought her nearer. Hastening to the engine-
room tube, I called to Castellan to stop our
vessel ; then, asking Woller to take the wheel,
I ran aft to the signal-locker in the com-
panion hatch. To pick out the Union Jack
and to bend it on the peak halyards occupied
scarcely more time than it takes to tell. Then
I ran it up to half-mast as a signal of distress,
and having done so, went aft to the taffrail
and waited for the other vessel to come up
to us.

She made an imposing picture in the bright
morning light as she came cleaving her way
through the water, and when I remembered all
that her coming meant to us, I could have kissed
her very decks in thankfulness.

Returning to the bridge I found Castellan,
the Commander-in-Chief, and Woller await-
ing me there. Not a word passed between
us for some moments. We stood gazing
at the Queen's ship in silence, waiting to
see what she would do. Then a stream

298 A Cabinet Secret

of signals broke out at her mast-head,
but as it was impossible for us to interpret
them without the necessary code, we were
obliged to disregard them. She must have
understood this, for she gradually drew closer
until she was less than half a mile distant,
when she came to a standstill.

Shortly after we distinctly heard a boat piped
away, saw it leave her side, and watched it come
towards us. A large lump was steadily rising in
my throat as I saw the blue-jackets at the oars
and the officer seated in the stern, and I felt
that I was getting perilously near making a
fool of myself. Churning the water under
her bows into snow-white foam, the boat
drew alongside. Then the handsome young
officer ascended the accommodation ladder. We
had by this time descended to the main
deck to receive him. That he did not recog-
nise us (and he might very well not have done
so) was evident from the fashion in which he
addressed us.

" Well, my men," he began, glancing from
one to the other of us, as if to satisfy himself
as to which was the leader, "what is the
meaning of your distress signals ? From what

A Cabinet Secret 299

I can see of her, your boat looks right
enough."

" There is no fault to be found with the
boat," I answered, realizing in an instant the
position of affairs. "The truth is, we want
to be taken off her. It is impossible to work
her with only four men."

" But what has become of the rest of the
crew ? " he asked, looking round as if he ex-
pected to see them somewhere about.

" They left her yesterday," I answered,
unable, despite the gravity of the situation, to
refrain from mystifying him. The youth was
so full of his own importance, and so inclined
to be overbearing that I could not help myself.

" And pray what rank do you four hold on
board her ? " he asked, evidently not a little
surprised by our appearances.

" We are passengers," said the Commander-
in-Chief, "and, as my friend says, we are
extremely anxious to leave the ship and go
aboard your vessel."

"That's all very well," he answered curtly,
"but I don't think it will do. The skipper
wouldn't hear of it, don't you know. But for
the present, what are your names?"

300 A Cabinet Secret

Here was the opportunity for which I had
been waiting.

" This gentleman is the Right Honourable
Benjamin Castellan, Secretary of State for
the Colonies," I said, pointing to Castellan,
"this is the Commander-in-Chief of the British
Army, and my friend on your left is Sir
William Woller, who some little time ago
was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the
British forces in South Africa."

" Stow that," the officer answered angrily.
" You'd better not play the fool with me.
What do you take me for ? "

At the same time I noticed that he looked
curiously from one to the other of us as if
he could not altogether trust his own judg-
ment. Then he added : " You know very well
that the four gentlemen you speak of are
dead."

"You will find, my friend, when you come
to know us better, that there is likely to be
a difference of opinion on that score," said the
Commander-in-Chief quietly. " My own is
that they are very much alive."

" Perhaps it would be as well for one of us
to write a note to the Captain," Castellan put

A Cabinet Secret 301

in. Then turning to the lieutenant, he con-
tinued : "I think it would be better for you to
believe our story, my friend. What you have
been told, as you will admit when you have heard
all we have to say, is quite correct. That we
are the people in question I shall soon hope
to convince you. Will you accompany us to
the saloon, or do you prefer to remain
here ? "

He came with us to the cuddy, and when we
had found paper and ink in the captain's state-
room, Castellan sat down and wrote a note
to the commander of the ship. This was
despatched by the boat that had brought the
lieutenant, and in less than half-an-hour
Captain Breatford was ascending the steps
of the accommodation ladder. In the mean-
time we had made ourselves as presentable
as possible, and had quite succeeded in con-
vincing the lieutenant of the truth of our
story. He was profuse in his apologies for
his manner towards us, but we bade him think
no more about it. He might very well have
been forgiven for not having recognised us.

I must leave you to imagine the captain's
surprise at finding us in such a strange posi-

302 A Cabinet Secret

tion. He prophesied a tremendous sensation
in England when our story should become
known.

" You are quite certain, I suppose, that it was
off Achil Head that you parted company with
the yacht ? " he asked when he had heard our
adventures.

" Quite certain," I replied. " But if you
would care to convince yourself on that score,
and will come with me to the chart-room, I
will show you the chart worked out by the
officer of the watch up to noon yesterday."

He did so, took certain notes, and then
invited us to accompany him to the warship.
The necessary officers and crew had already
arrived to take possession of our own vessel,
and when all was ready, we bade the old tub
farewell. She had been the theatre of one of
the most singular adventures of the Century,
and, but for the fact of my having obtained
possession of that gimlet, might now have
been lying at the bottom of the ocean, with
us locked up in her.

On board the man-of-war a consultation was
held, and as a result the captain decided to set
off at once in search of the mysterious yacht,

A Cabinet Secret 303

and afterwards to land us at a port whence we
could easily reach London.

"In the meantime, gentlemen, permit me to
offer you the best hospitality in my power," he
said. " I think, in being permitted to rescue
you, I should deem myself the most fortunate
man in the British Navy to-day. To rescue
four such gentlemen is not a chance that falls
to a man's lot very often."

Needless to say we quite agreed with him.

CHAPTER XI

HP HE tale of our adventures has occupied
a long time in the telling. There re-
mains but little more to be added. What there
is, however, I venture to think may be of
interest to you.

According to the captain's arrangements,
we explored the sea for a considerable dis-
tance round Achil Head, but without dis-
covering any sign of the yacht. The
peasantry, we learnt, had seen nothing of
her, and it was not until we reached the
little harbour of Gallisheen that we learnt how
swift, and entirely unexpected, had been her
fate. How it happened no one will ever know,
though it is conjectured that the fog was re-
sponsible for the catastrophe. At any rate, the
fact remains, that, when little more than eight
miles from Gallisheen, she went ashore on that
terrible coast, and in less than an hour became
a total wreck.

304

1 THINK Wli AL1, KNEW WHAT WE SHOULD SEE.

To face page 305.

A Cabinet Secret 305

You would be quite justified in asking how
we knew that it was the same vessel. Let me
explain. When we landed to make enquiries
concerning the wreck, an old man informed us
that only one body had been recovered, that of
a woman. If we cared to inspect it, he added,
it was at that moment lying in his cabin
awaiting burial. Impelled by a feeling that
was something more than curiosity, we entered
the rough hut on the cliff. I think we all knew
what we should see. When we came out into
the sunlight again, Castellan, whose face was
very pale, put his hand on my shoulder.

" Manderville, old friend," he said, "Shake-
speare was right when he said that ' there are
more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt
of in our philosophy.' That woman lying in
the hut planned our ruin, and but for you she
would have accomplished it. Now she is dead,
while we are alive. There is a moral in it, if
one cared to look for it."

" And Conrad, Sargasta, and the other man,
what can have become of them ? "

" Drowned, you may be sure," he answered,
in the same curious voice. " Poor wretches !
they have received their punishment sooner

u

306 A Cabinet Secret

than they expected. When all is said and
done, we can afford to forgive them."

As he finished speaking we heard the snarl
of the waves on the rocks below. They were
telling their own tale, and I shuddered as I
heard it.

The outburst of excitement, the furore, I
might say, which greeted our arrival in London
will be well remembered by every one ; for
this reason it is not necessary for me to touch
upon it here. How Woller completed his
journey to the Cape after all, and the great
things that he accomplished when he got there,
are also known to every one.

I think it only right, however, in conclusion.
to add that, in giving this record of our strange
adventures to the public, I have done what I
consider to be my duty ; and with the hope that
no public men will ever again be called upon
to endure so much, I make my bow, and bid
my readers a polite farewell.

THE END.

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